Renato Veiga has completed a permanent move from Chelsea to Villarreal, with the Blues hopeful of securing loan exits for a handful of other defenders in the coming days.
Chelsea signed Veiga from Basel last summer for a fee of around £12 million ($16.1 million) and fans were quickly impressed by his performances as a reserve left back, with the youngster’s form soon earning him a spot in the Portugal national team.
His relationship with the Blues soon soured, however. Reports claimed Veiga wanted more opportunities at centre back, while regular minutes to boost his standing in the Portugal side were also behind a desire to leave just six months later. Veiga would end up joining Juventus and spent the second half of the campaign playing in central defence.
Made available for a permanent sale this summer, Veiga has inked a deal with Villarreal, who have agreed to pay around £25 million on top of handing Chelsea what has been described as a “significant” sell-on clause.
The Blues are looking to trim numbers in defence even after Levi Colwill’s serious injury, and are currently working on loan exits for both Aarón Anselmino and Axel Disasi.
For Anselmino, the Argentine youngster is in talks over a loan move to Borussia Dortmund which is expected to be tied to a permanent exit for midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. Blues boss Enzo Maresca recently admitted Anselmino would likely need to find a new home this season but Chelsea are not entertaining a permanent departure for the 20-year-old.
Disasi, meanwhile, is a target for Bournemouth. As first revealed by Sacha Tavolieri, the Cherries are negotiating a deal which could see the French defender join on loan with an option to make the move permanent next summer.
Bournemouth have expressed an interest in another Blues youngster, Josh Acheampong, but Chelsea are believed to be keen to keep hold of the academy graduate.
Wesley Fofana has been linked with an exit from Chelsea in the aftermath of a social media storm sparked by his decision to wipe his Instagram feed of Blues content, but Maresca insisted Fofana remains “happy” at Stamford Bridge.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Defender Completes Permanent La Liga Transfer, Two Loan Exits Lined Up.
