Chelsea are set to pocket a cool £35million as defender Renato Veiga edges closer to a switch to Atletico Madrid. The 21-year-old Portuguese spent the latter half of the previous season on loan at Juventus, where he put in impressive performances across 15 appearances.
However, a permanent move to Turin seems off the cards as Atletico have managed to persuade him to join Diego Simeone’s squad. Veiga has become surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge just a year after his arrival.
Having been signed from Swiss heavyweights Basel for a mere £11.7million, Chelsea are looking to make a tidy profit by setting his price tag at £35million. However, as per the Sun, Atletico are aiming to secure his services for £25million, with the centre-back expressing his eagerness to make the move to Madrid.
It’s worth noting that the two clubs share a good rapport. Last summer saw Conor Gallagher moving to Atletico from Chelsea, while Joao Felix made the reverse journey.
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Veiga has also caught the attention of Bayern Munich, who are in the market for a central defender. Despite his predicament at Chelsea, the young defender’s reputation has grown, earning regular call-ups to the Portugal national team and playing a part in their Nations League final triumph over Spain last month, reports the Mirror.
This news about Veiga comes as Chelsea continue negotiations with Ajax for Dutch defender Jorrel Hato. The Dutchman is expected to command a fee of around £35million, while the Blues are also reportedly in discussions to bring in Netherlands compatriot Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
Their arrivals would push Chelsea’s summer expenditure to approximately £350million. The Blues aim to recoup some of this outlay by offloading players like Veiga, in an effort to navigate the Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Raheem Sterling is also potentially heading for the exit, with clubs across Europe, including German outfit Bayer Leverkusen, showing interest. Nicolas Jackson might be another player departing Stamford Bridge, as Manchester United have added him to their shortlist.
Enzo Maresca will be aiming to fine-tune his squad ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League curtain-raiser against Crystal Palace on Sunday, August 17. Fresh from their Club World Cup and Conference League victories, which netted the club a cool £100million in prize money, the Blues are riding high.
Their success under Maresca has made west London an attractive destination for talent. Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr have all joined the Blues this summer, as they gear up for a return to the Champions League and a serious tilt at the Premier League title.
