Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of left-back Ian Maassen from Chelsea.
The 22-year-old Dutchman has been named in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League squad after helping Borussia Dortmund reach the final while on loan at the German club.
Maassen is Villa’s second signing of the summer, following winger Lewis Dobbin from Everton.
A left back who can also play in midfield, Maassen is currently representing the Netherlands at UEFA Euro 2024. His country will play Romania in the last 16 on Tuesday.
Who is Maassen?
Maassen was born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands on March 10, 2002.
He started his youth career at Feyenoord and then moved to Sparta Rotterdam and PSV Eindhoven before leaving for Chelsea.
The left-back played for the Blues Under-18s and Under-21s before his first loan move to Charlton Athletic in 2020. He was also at Coventry City for a season, but where he really made his mark was at Burnley.
Under manager Vincent Kompany at Turf Moor, Burnley won the 2022/23 Championship, with Maatsen making 39 league appearances, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
Last season he returned to Chelsea and starred in the Premier League Summer Series tournament in the United States before being loaned out to Dortmund in January, playing a key role in their run to the Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. .
He made 16 appearances in the Bundesliga and seven in the Champions League.
2024/25
After taking part in Euro 2024, Maassen will join his new team-mates for the pre-season. Villa’s first pre-season game ahead of the Premier League campaign is on July 20 against Spartak Trnava. See the friendlies of the clubs, here.
Villa’s first Premier League game of 2024/25 is at West Ham United on Saturday 17 August, a 17:30 BST kick-off.
Maatsen will also bring welcome experience of Champions League football, with Villa participating in the competition next season for the first time in their history.
See: Summer 2024 transfers & news