- 13 hours ago
'I turned down Chelsea transfer in January' admits Dutch international
Suraj Radia
- 19 May 2024 13:30 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea made an approach to sign Feyenoord left-back Quilindschy Hartman in January, with the Dutchman admitting he turned the Blues down prior to his most recent injury.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have long-been interested in the 22-year-old, who will miss the European Championships after picking up a serious knee injury in March.
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“Right now they don't want me, but they really wanted to,” Hartman told Good Morning Eredivise. “Chelsea came to Feyenoord last winter break.
“To be honest, I didn't want it at that moment. I had only just broken through, just started playing basically everything and it wasn't the right time either with a view to the European Championship.
“Feyenoord was not open to it in the winter, but in the summer they were. Interest has returned in recent months. They really wanted me and I was certainly open to it.
“Unfortunately, things turned out differently. At the same time I think: 'I'll stay at Feyenoord, that's fine too'. But there was indeed a good chance that the transfer would have gone through.”
Hartman’s hopes of big transfer fading after injury
Hartman had been a standout performer in the Eredivisie before undergoing knee surgery, which could keep him out of action for the rest of 2024.
Bayern Munich had also considered a move for the Feyenoord man, who had another serious injury in 2021 when he tore his cruiciate ligament.
STATS
Quilindschy Hartman
D (CL)
Feyenoord
Quilindschy Hartman
D (CL)
Feyenoord
Hartman’s injury history means he will likely stay at Feyenoord for the foreseeable future despite the Dutch defender entering the final two years of his contract.
READ MORE: Chelsea’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time
He was expected to be a part of the Netherland’s Euro squad, having received the first of his four caps for his country last year, when he also scored against France.
Chelsea were in the market for a left-back after letting academy graduates Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen leave, with the latter likely to be sold this summer and the former’s loan at Newcastle being made permanent.
Marc Cucurella has picked up form for Chelsea in recent performances as an inverted left-back, which has eased the desperation for a replacement despite Ben Chilwell only starting nine games this season.
