By Tom Gott
Borussia Dortmund are looking to negotiate a discount in their pursuit of Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen, 90min understands.
Maatsen spent the last six months on loan with Dortmund on a deal which did not include a purchase clause, and the Dutchman impressed as he helped Edin Terzic's side all the way to the Champions League final.
Dortmund are keen to keep hold of Maatsen, whose contract now includes a release clause worth £35m, but 90min understands they are reluctant to trigger that clause at this point.
Sources have told 90min that Dortmund value Maatsen at close to £25m and they prefer not to exceed that figure as they already paid a loan fee to Chelsea to get the initial deal done back in January, while they want to save funds to try and sign Manchester United's Jadon Sancho as well.
Dortmund officials have also highlighted the fact that Chelsea accepted a bid of £31.5m for Maatsen from Burnley last summer as they seek to drive the full-back's price tag down.
Chelsea, however, continue to point to Maatsen's release clause and believe Dortmund should have no issues meeting their demands after a lucrative run to the Champions League final.
Despite the current difference of opinion, the expectation remains that Maatsen will still be sold by Chelsea this summer.
Many Chelsea fans have called for Maatsen to be given a chance to impress under new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca, whose use of inverted full-backs would appear to suit the 22-year-old's skill set.
However, concerns over Maatsen's size, noted under Mauricio Pochettino, remain, and Chelsea are expected to part ways with the Dutch full-back this summer.
Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah are both available for transfers away at the right price as Chelsea officials seek to raise funds, while fellow academy graduate Armando Broja is up for sale after returning from a frustrating loan with Fulham.
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Borussia Dortmund reluctant to meet Chelsea's demands over Ian Maatsen.
