Chelsea are yet to make any progress on the future of Ian Maatsen, despite him featuring prominently in the opening weeks of the season under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Maatsen’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but there has been no movement over the course of the past month since Burnley had a bid worth £31.5 million accepted by Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea made two contract offers to the Dutchman prior to Burnley’s bid, one of which is claimed to have been worth more than what the player could have earned by moving to Turf Moor permanently.
Should there be no significant progress on his future before January, then Chelsea are likely to be forced into listening to more offers for Maatsen in the next transfer window.
The 21-year-old made his second start of the season in the Carabao Cup third-round victory over Brighton and may be important to Pochettino over the next two Premier League games, with right-backs Malo Gusto and Reece James out, and left-back Ben Chilwell waiting for the result of a scan on his hamstring injury.
Maatsen has started both of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup games, with the club now looking forward to a fourth-round date against Blackburn Rovers, and has appeared off the substitutes’ bench on four occasions in the Premier League. Pochettino is understood to have been impressed by him.
James is aiming to step up his training programme next week, but is also facing the threat of a ban after being charged by the Football Association for abusing a match official in the Stamford Bridge tunnel following the defeat by Aston Villa.
Marc Cucurella, who filled in as a makeshift right-back against Brighton, is reported to be looking for a January move away from Chelsea, which means Pochettino may be keen for Maatsen to remain at the club as long as possible to provide competition and cover for Chilwell.
Chelsea are due to formally announce sports data company Infinite Athlete as the club’s new front-of-shirt sponsor for the season ahead of the weekend. The announcement had been due on Wednesday, but scheduling commitments caused a short delay.
Telegraph Sport revealed on Tuesday night that Infinite Athlete had been granted Premier League approval to become Chelsea’s primary shirt sponsor and that the company’s logo could feature on the players’ kit for Monday night’s trip to Fulham, which is being broadcast on television.
