Watkins would love him: Villa in daily talks to sign £35m star (2024)

Aston Villa are currently circumventing the snapping jaws of the Premier League's profit and sustainability (PSR) rules but are making headway as the transfer of Douglas Luiz to Juventus edges toward completion, bringing in Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior as part of the package.

Unai Emery has masterminded an incredible rise at Villa Park but has his work cut out this summer, juggling financial sticking points with the need to style his team ahead of a multi-layered forthcoming campaign, where Premier League football will bounce against the desire to impress on Europe's major stage.

With last season's top-four finish rolling out the carpet for a place in the Champions League, Villa will hope to make some purposeful signings, with one already internally in the works.

Aston Villa transfer news

With Villa fighting to align themselves on the right side of the PSR line before the June 30 deadline, deals are unlikely to be completed this month. But expect the Champions League-qualified side to pounce when free to do so.

Emery hopes to strengthen a range of positions, with left-back a priority. As per Football Insider, the Spaniard is hoping to sign Chelsea's Ian Maatsen to solve that problem, with the full-back enjoying an excellent loan spell with Borussia Dortmund in 2024.

Maatsen, aged 22, has a £35m release clause in his Blues contract that has dissuaded Dortmund from moving for his signature. Villa, too, have reservations about accepting such a figure but are holding daily discussions to determine whether to advance their interest.

Ian Maatsen's 23/24 season in numbers

Maatsen spent the 2022/23 campaign in the Championship with Vincent Kompany's Burnley, enjoying a tremendous breakthrough year as he won the title and was hailed for his "dangerous" qualities by manager Peter van der Veen.

Returning to Chelsea one year ago, Maatsen played a part in Mauricio Pochettino's sole season at the Stamford Bridge helm but featured only 15 times in all competitions, starting just once in the Premier League, before being loaned out in January.

It has been his stint as a Borussia Dortmund loanee that has truly highlighted his quality and suggested that he can flourish in a prominent position at the height of the continental game, for years to come.

As per Sofascore, Maatsen only featured 16 times in the Bundesliga but scored two goals, provided two assists and completed 89% of his passes.

Once praised for his "exceptional" quality by former Coventry City teammate Simon Moore, Maatsen would be a credit to Villa's starting line-up, potentially even benefitting one of the club's best-performing stars.

Why Villa should sign Ian Maatsen

Called up to the Netherlands squad for the ongoing Euro 2024, Maatsen is fast on the rise, with his exploits since leaving Chelsea in January showcasing the value in forging a career path that will see him playing regular football.

As per FBref, the former Yellow Wall loanee ranked among the top 20% of Bundesliga full-backs last season for goals scored, the top 6% for pass completion and passes attempted, the top 10% for progressive passes and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90.

Technically sound and athletic, he would make a marked impact on Aston Villa's fluency and build-up play, potentially even providing a constant outlet for Ollie Watkins.

Watkins, granted, is principally a striker, but he's been found on the wing more than a few times at Villa and with strikers such as Tammy Abraham being coveted for a transfer, Maatsen could indeed be the perfect new teammate.

The Netherlands international's heatmap in the Bundesliga seared through the page, with his 4.9 ball recoveries per game emphasising the impressive ground-covering style.

Maatsen's regular through balls - he ranked among the top 9% in the Bundesliga - and balls into the final third, again, top 9%, suggest that he possesses the enterprise and dynamics to supplement Watkins with the kind of frequency that will see the England international stands a good chance of emulating his remarkable campaign.

Watkins has been a steady shooter for Villa since signing from Brentford in a club-record £33m deal in 2020. But last term, he eclipsed expectations, racking up an extraordinary tally of 27 goals and 13 assists across all competitions.

To boot, Watkins could actually repay the favour. He ranks among the top 3% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90. Maatsen loves a goal and could be fed by the Three Lions star's creative style.

With one of Alex Moreno or Lucas Digne departing a strong possibility for the Lions this summer, Maatsen is understandably at the top of the shopping list, offering something different while boasting skills to align with the fundamentals of Emery's system.

In fairness, £35m would be a little steep for the 22-year-old, but given that Maatsen is about to enter the penultimate year of his Stamford Bridge contract, Enzo Maresca and Co may well be convinced to whittle that tag down, should Villa turn internal discussions toward Stamford Bridge.