Chelsea have indicated they can complete a deal in January for a £59m replacement for Veiga

Chelsea bosses have been told behind the scenes that they can sign a quality potential replacement for Renato Veiga, and it is now firmly believed that the versatile defender will join Serie A heavyweights Juventus.

Juventus will sign Renato Veiga on loan from Chelsea

The 21-year-old opted to play as a central defender rather than a left-back underneath Enzo Marescawhich motivated him to leave Stamford Bridge in the short term.

His personal request to suitors during January was to play in his preferred position, with Borussia Dortmund even reaches an agreement on personal terms with Veigabefore Juventus swooped in and snatched the deal from them.

It is according to Fabrizio Romanowho also reported at the time that Chelsea would only let him go for a permanent fee of around £24m.

However, a reliable reporter has since reported that Chelsea have softened their stance, with a temporary deal now agreed as Juventus take the Portuguese out on loan until the end of the 2024/25 season.

“Juventus have agreed with Chelsea to sign Renato Veiga, let’s go,” Romano said further X.

“A loan deal for a fee of €5m until June, with no buyout clause — and then the player returns to Chelsea at the end of June for the Club World Cup. Veiga is expected to play as a CB at Juventus.”

Veiga’s determination to play at centre-back drew criticism from Maresca ahead of his move to Serie A, and the Chelsea manager sent a clear message to the former FC Basel star.

“I spoke with Renato. I told him that he plays in the position he plays with us, that he was given a chance to join the national team and I created speculations around him, which only happens when you play well,” he said Maresca in Veig’s position.

“If there is a player who only wants to play in one position, he will have to struggle. They have to learn to play in different positions because it is a good thing for the player and the club.”

Chelsea have informed that they could sign Piero Hincapie in January

Maresca now has one less defender for the second half of 2024/25, and attention turns to who could replace Veiga.

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea have been tipped to sign Piero Hincapie from Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen this month, but the Ecuadorian will not leave for less than £59m.

Able to play in both central defense and full-back, Hincapie has made 18 Bundesliga appearances under Xabi Alonso this season – averaging 90.4% pass accuracy (WhoScored).

The 23-year-old fits Chelsea’s mold of a capable young star on the rise, but it is highly debatable whether they would fork out close to £60m for him when they have just called up the versatile Trevoh Chalobah.