Renato Veiga is only interested in leaving Chelsea are claimed to be on a six-month loan deal, contrary to previous reports which suggested he would be interested in a permanent move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 21-year-old utility star, who can play at centre-back, left-back and defensive midfielder, only joined Chelsea from Basel in July for a fee of around €14m, signing a seven-year deal with a further one-year option.
Veiga played 18 times for Chelsea in all competitions, mostly as a regular for Enzo Maresca in the Conference League, and emerged as a potential target for Borussia Dortmund earlier this month.
Reports in Germany earlier claimed that thin Veiga has reached a ‘full verbal agreement’ to join Dortmund, who are also trying to reach a deal for Chelsea team-mate Carney Chukwuemeka, but the two clubs are yet to agree a fee.
Dortmund are said to have been pushing for the loan move with Chelsea keen to approve a permanent sale, hoping to convince the Bundesliga giants to part with close to €35m (£29m).
But Fabrizio Romano reports that Veiga was only ever interested in a temporary move away from Chelsea and remains committed to the club’s long-term project. The Portugal international, who has played three games, will consider a six-month loan move for that alone, with a view to returning to Chelsea in the future to challenge for a regular starting spot.
Chelsea’s first-choice left-back – Veiga’s preferred position – is Marc Cucurella, and they also still have Ben Chilwell on the books, although he is yet to feature in Premier League this season and was told he could look for a new club.
Whether or not Chelsea will find their vice-captain remains to be seen. Signed from Leicester City in August 2020 for a fee of £45m, Chilwell has battled a number of injuries during his time at Stamford Bridge, with 27 appearances in his first season at the club arguably his most.
Chilwell, who signed a new four-year deal in April 2023, made just 13 Premier League appearances last season after missing three months with a hamstring injury injuryalthough he captained Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last February – a game which Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute header.
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