Ian Maatsen of Chelsea warming up prior to kick off during the EFL Carabao Cup Second Round South match between Chelsea and AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 30 August 2023. Copyright: xCarltonxMyriex 38180065
The Bundesliga side will pay a £2m loan fee and Maatsen is to undergo a medical on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old left-back will extend his Chelsea contract until 2027 to put the club in a stronger negotiating position over a permanent sale in the summer, however, the new contract is also understood to contain a release clause.
While the Blues will be delighted to get Maatsen – who has featured 12 times in the Premier League – some regular playing time, they will first have to manage their current loanees, as per FIFA rules.
Rules state that clubs are only allowed to loan out seven players internationally at any one time to try to prevent the stockpiling of talent.
Currently, ahead of Maatsen’s move, Chelsea already have seven players loaned out to foreign clubs – meaning they would have to cancel one of their existing loans in order for the full-back to leave.
Their current loanees include Romelu Lukaku, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Angelo, Hakim Ziyech, David Fofana, Gabriel Slonina and Diego Moriera.
The most likely of those to have their loan deal terminated is winger Ziyech, with Galatasaray ready to cut ties with the player just five months after his arrival in the Turkish Super Lig.
He’s featured 14 times in all competitions, with two more goals coming in the Champions League but has been ‘ineffective’ and not able to ‘perform as expected’, according to Turkish outlet NTV Spor.
