Manchester United made several changes during the summer as Michael Carrick reshaped his squad for the 2026/27 campaign.
The Red Devils strengthened central midfield by signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £48 million and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for £35 million.
Carlos Baleba also arrived from Brighton, while Rasmus Hojlund completed a permanent £43 million move to Napoli after his previous loan spell.
However, United finished the window without adding another specialist left-back despite assessing options before the deadline.
Carrick’s side had explored the market after missing out on Lewis Hall and eventually made a late enquiry for another Premier League defender.
Their approach did not progress, with the player’s club deciding he remained an important part of their plans.
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are now in advanced talks with Ian Maatsen over a new contract at Villa Park.
Manchester United showed interest in the Netherlands international during the summer and had a late enquiry rejected by Villa.
United were interested in taking Maatsen on loan if he became available. But Unai Emery’s side had no intention of sanctioning his departure.
The 24-year-old’s existing contract already runs until 2030. Villa are nevertheless working on improved terms to reflect his growing importance within Emery’s squad.
Maatsen has started all five of Aston Villa’s matches this season. He gained a more prominent role following Lucas Digne’s move to Paris Saint-Germain.
He made 44 appearances across all competitions last season but started only 25 of those games.
Villa now regard Maatsen as an important long-term player and want to remove uncertainty surrounding his future.
His performances have also attracted interest from other European clubs, giving Villa another reason to accelerate contract discussions.
For Manchester United, the development could make any renewed attempt to sign Maatsen considerably more difficult.
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