Race for a Chelsea player is being led by Manchester City and West Ham United

According to reports, Manchester City and West Ham United are ready to seize the opportunity should it become clear that Ian Maatsen will likely quit Chelsea in 2024.

Maatsen has spent the most of his development on loans at Championship clubs, where he was instrumental in helping Burnley win the league title last season.

The Netherlands Under-21 international wanted to try to make a name for himself at Stamford Bridge, despite the Clarets’ desire to sign him permanently.

The 21-year-old has now had a mixed record, starting two EFL Cup games and making six Premier League substitute appearances totaling 84 minutes.

Having featured in all but two of Chelsea’s matches this season, Maatsen appears to be in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans, but his contractual situation complicates matters.

Chelsea officials would have been happy to sell the left-sided player for £31m in the summer with just a year remaining on his contract.

Unless he pens fresh terms by the start of 2024, Maatsen will again be put up for sale, yet the Dutchman may prefer to wait until the summer where he could become a free agent.

In recent days, it has been claimed that Barcelona are monitoring the situation, aware that there is potential to sign a highly-regarded versatile talent for nothing.

But according to TEAMtalk, Man City and West Ham are presently thought to be the front-runners to recruit Maatsen.

According to the article, Maatsen is prioritizing a route to regular first-team football while deciding on his long-term future.

Even though City has plenty of options at full-back and farther down the wing, it is clear that they were impressed with Maatsen’s abilities. That may not necessarily be simple to come by.

Even before Maatsen announced his intention to stay at Chelsea, West Ham United was thought to be at the top of the list of teams interested in signing the midfielder.

However, that opinion might shift based on how much playing time he gets between now and January, when more experienced players ought to recover from injuries.