According to the Daily Mail, Celtic wanted to land Chelsea youngster Ian Maatsen over the summer – but he has now joined Charlton Athletic.
It’s claimed that the Bhoys had registered a real interest in signing Maatsen, as Neil Lennon looked to bring in help down the left flank.
The international window ended without Celtic signing Maatsen, and they signed Diego Laxalt on loan from AC Milan instead.
Chelsea have ‘high aspirations’ for Maatsen, but with no deal struck to send him to Celtic, they have now loaned him to Charlton Athletic.
That means the 18-year-old will now be playing League One football this season before returning to Stamford Bridge next summer.
The Dutch talent will hope that this experience will push him closer to first-team action at Chelsea, and it may be worth Celtic tracking his progress.
Laxalt is only on loan, and if they need another option next season, then Maatsen may be a sensible option with a year of league action under his belt.
One piece of irony here is that Maatsen will now be playing with Alfie Doughty down the Charlton left, after the Addicks managed to fend off Celtic when they pursued Doughty.
Maybe Celtic will now be watching both players having missed out on them, but will still harbour high hopes for Uruguayan star Laxalt.
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