Ian Maatsen close to leaving Chelsea! Borussia Dortmund in 'very advanced' talks to sign Blues defender with Jadon Sancho likely to join him at Bundesliga giants

As per Florian Plettenberg [via Sky Sports], the left-back is likely to join the German club on a loan basis after the Dutchman lost his place in Mauricio Pochettino's side and is currently way down in the pecking order. While a deal is not close as of yet, the report suggests that it is the most likely move for Maatsen in the January transfer window.

Dortmund are currently struggling in fifth place in the league despite their strong showing in the Champions League group of death with Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, in which they finished top. They are looking to make new signings in the winter in hopes of bolstering the squad for the second half of the season.

Chelsea are also looking to open up space in the FFP restrictions as they have had a bad season so far and currently sit in 10th place in the Premier League. The Blues are looking to make the signing of a striker this winter with names like Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

The deal could be struck soon with the Dutchman unlikely to play in the Blues' clash against Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, January 9.