Chelsea are preparing to part ways with Renato Veiga just a year after bringing him in from Basel, with Villarreal set to snap up the Portuguese defender in what will be a record deal for the Spanish side.
The 22-year-old cost Chelsea around £12m last summer and signed a lengthy contract, but he struggled to break into Enzo Maresca’s first-team plans and was loaned to Juventus midway through last season. He impressed in Turin, featuring 15 times, yet returned to London with no guarantee of regular minutes for the new campaign.
Interest quickly emerged across Europe, with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan all linked, but Villarreal have moved fastest. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Yellow Submarine have struck an agreement worth €29.5m (£25.5m) including add-ons, eclipsing the €23.5m they paid Bournemouth for Arnaut Danjuma in 2021.
Chelsea are inserting a strong sell-on clause into the deal to ensure they benefit from any future transfer. Veiga, who can operate as both a centre-back and holding midfielder, made only 18 appearances for the Blues and was left out of the squad for this season’s opener against Crystal Palace.
The Lisbon-born defender was, however, part of Portugal’s Nations League-winning squad this summer, and Villarreal hope his versatility will give them a new dimension. The move also marks the end of an underwhelming chapter at Stamford Bridge, despite Maresca once praising Veiga’s adaptability in multiple positions.
If confirmed, the switch would underline Chelsea’s ruthless stance on trimming their squad under Maresca, while offering Veiga a chance to relaunch his career in La Liga as Villarreal’s most expensive signing ever.
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