Premier League powerhouse Chelsea are prepared to offload summer arrival Renato Veiga in the January transfer window. Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and Serie A outfit Juventus are reportedly interested in signing him this month.
Chelsea signed Veiga from FC Basel for a £12 million fee in the summer of 2024. The 21-year-old left-back — who can also play as a defensive midfielder or centre-back — has, however, struggled for minutes under coach Enzo Maresca. The Italian tactician has played him regularly in cup competitions, including the UEFA Europa Conference League, but has only granted him 176 minutes of football across seven Premier League games.
Veiga wants to establish himself as a regular for Portugal before the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is understandably eager to play more regularly. According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are prepared to let him leave and fulfil said ambition.
Chelsea Will Only Sell Renato Veiga in January Window
Despite playing sporadically, the Portuguese defender has managed to impress some prominent teams in Europe, including Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and Napoli. Dortmund, who are toiling in eighth place in the Bundesliga rankings, have even reportedly agreed personal terms with the Portugal international, with them expressing the desire to sign him on loan.
As per The Telegraph, however, Chelsea are not willing to loan Veiga out. They will only consider a permanent sale in the January transfer window, as they want to make a hefty profit from his transfer. The Pensioners value Veiga at over £20 million. If his sale goes through, Chelsea intend to hit the transfer market in search of a competent backup for first-choice left-back Marc Cucurella.
Veiga has interest from Premier League clubs as well, with Wolverhampton Wanderers the most eager to sign him.
Maresca Is Not Ruling Out Veiga’s Exit
Ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup 3rd Round clash with Morecambe, coach Maresca shed light on Veiga’s future. He maintained the young defender was still an important part of the club but did not completely rule out his exit.
“Renato is our player, [on Saturday] he’s going to play and he’s a player that we’re happy to have here with us,” said Maresca (via The Mirror).
“The last game he played was Tottenham away and in a delicate moment of the game, we put him there. This showed how we trust Renato. But as I said, it’s not just what I think, or what the club thinks, or what the player thinks. It’s something that altogether we need to make the right decision for the club and the players and the manager.”
Veiga has played 18 games for the club in all competitions this season, scoring two goals and providing an assist. His contract with the club runs out in June 2031.
