1:30pm: Player set to undergo Chelsea medical ahead of shock move to Stamford Bridge as £25m defender who impressed at Euros could join Chelsea
According to Fabrizio Romano, Renato Veiga will soon go through his physical before concluding his unexpected transfer to Chelsea.
On Friday, it was announced that Chelsea and FC Basel, a Swiss team, had reached an agreement for the signing of the Portugal under-20 international for €14 million.
Veiga, if all goes according to plan, will follow Tosin Adarabioyo, Estevao Willian, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as Chelsea’s sixth summer addition.
Veiga will have a Chelsea medical.
Given that there had been no media connections to Veiga, the move was unexpected, but it looks Chelsea has now acquired the left-footed defender they were searching for.
The Blues had been linked with Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori but never actually made a bid, with the Italian closing in on a move to Arsenal.
In fact Veiga was actually signed by Basel as Calafiori’s replacement last summer when the Italy international left to join Bologna.
Chelsea seem to be progressing quickly on the deal for Veiga and Romano has reported the 20-year-old is set to undergo his medical.
He took to X.com and said:
“Renato Veiga, set to undergo medical as new Chelsea player.
“Portuguese talent to sign contract valid until June 2032.
“Chelsea will pay €14m to Basel and there will be no add-ons or sell-on. Veiga could also play as fullback in Chelsea plans. Exclusive story, confirmed.”
The Portuguese can play at left back, centre back and in midfield, and Maresca is believed to have been looking for a player of his profile who can play full back and invert into midfield.
£25m defender who impressed at Euros could join Chelsea
Last night saw Chelsea apparently close in on a deal to sign a new defender, but as we’ve seen a few times over the last couple of years, signing players doesn’t slow down the club’s desire to get their hands on every top talent they can.
So despite a deal for versatile defender slash midfielder Renato Veiga apparently being forged, there’s chatter today that the Blues are also chasing Red Bull Salzburg defender Strahinja Pavlović.
The 23 year old has looked great at the Euros with Serbia, and like most players in the Red Bull system is highly rated and just waiting for a big move at the right moment. It seems like the Premier League are going to come calling this summer – Aston Villa and Newcastle are both also being linked.
We’ve heard so often that Chelsea want more left sided players in their defence, and Pavlovic would be another of those. Caught Offside report that he’s got a £25m valuation, which would likely be a bargain for a player at the perfect age – he’s got enough experience to be ready for the Premier League right away, but with plenty of room still to grow.
Don’t rule it out – despite Veiga transfer
Chelsea have shown they’re not afraid to spend £20m or so on far less experienced players. Just think of Omari Kellyman from the last few weeks for starters. So this deal really does add up financially. It’s hard to see how the Serbian would fit into the first team squad at the moment, but it only takes a couple of sales to change the equation.
Plus, would it be impossible that he goes to Strasbourg on loan for a year? It gives us a chance to find a buyer for someone like Axel Disasi, plus allowing the youngster to take a halfway step between the Austrian League and the Premier League.