West Ham United have been given deadline day hope of signing Chelsea star Ian Maatsen after a late night Erik ten Hag call.
Chelsea are spoilt for choice when it comes to left-backs and that has not gone unnoticed by David Moyes or Manchester United.
West Ham have been heavily linked with young Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen all summer transfer window.
But Man United are in the midst of an altogether more desperate hunt for a left-back ahead of Friday night’s deadline.
And that Red Devils search looked like it might put a spanner in the works for West Ham’s reported plans to try and do a deal with Chelsea for Dutch star Maatsen.
West Ham get deadline day hope of signing Chelsea star Ian Maatsen after late night Erik ten Hag call
A well connected journalist had claimed West Ham were confident of getting a deal done with Chelsea for Maatsen.
And earlier this week reporter Alan Nixon claimed the Hammers are very much still hoping to try and sign the 21-year-old before the window closes.
There have been claims Maatsen is open to a move given that he has £120m worth of left-backs competing with him for game time at Chelsea.
So it was bad news for West Ham when Manchester United launched a move for Marc Cucurella this week.
After allowing Lewis Hall to join Newcastle, loaning Cucurella to Man United would have left Chelsea with injury-prone Ben Chilwell and Maatsen, making a Stamford Bridge stay much more likely.
But West Ham have been given deadline day hope of signing Chelsea star Maatsen after a late night Erik ten Hag call.
Shock overnight twist opens the door for Hammers to try again for Dutchman
Because in a shock twist, talks between Manchester United and Chelsea over Cucurella collapsed over the Blues’ £7m loan fee demands.
And Ten Hag quickly pivoted to bring Spurs outcast and Cucurella’s fellow Spaniard Sergio Reguilon to Old Trafford instead.
The deal, to cover for injured duo Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, moved rapidly last night with Reguilon completing his medical at Man United.
And that has opened the door for West Ham to try again for Maatsen in a deadline day deal.
With Chelsea not in Europe, game time would be thin on the ground for Maatsen with Chilwell vice-captain and Cucurella on a long-term contract having joined for an astonishing £63m.
Maatsen has prospect of more involved future at West Ham than Chelsea
Hammers News was told by a top source inside West Ham last night that the club’s chances of making further deadline day signings were “fifty-fifty”.
But this development may well have improved those chances with a possible loan with obligation deal with Chelsea having been mooted for the last couple of months.
Should the Hammers manage to get a deal done for Maatsen, it may finally open the door for Aaron Cresswell to join Wolves.
And the Blues youngster would not only be guaranteed more game time at West Ham – who face another 50-game plus season with European football – but also the chance to be the club’s long-term first choice left-back.