Chelsea reject Veiga makes 326M move to Villarreal in record deal for defender

Chelsea reject Veiga makes 326M move to Villarreal in record deal for defender

Renato Veiga becomes Chelsea’s 11th first-team departure of the summer as he joins Villarreal for a fee rising to 326M.

The 22-year-old defender joined The Blues from Basel last summer but made just one start in the Premier League before being loaned to Juventus for the second half of last season. He will now replace former Manchester United defender Eric Bailly, who left the club as a free agent at the end of last season as well as Raul Albiol who is still a free agent.0

Veiga made 15 appearances for Juventus and helped the club qualify for the Champions League after the club paid a €5m loan fee. The Portugal international was deemed surplus to requirements by manager Enzo Maresca and became part of their “bomb squad” which included many talented players who have been pushed out in recent months.0

These talents include the likes of Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu, Noni Madueke, and Joao Felix who have all departed the side whilst the likes of Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are said to be also ready to leave in what is a major clear out.0

He leaves the Blues for a fee of around €30M, and Standard Sport reports that Chelsea have included a sell-on clause in the deal in what is a club-record signing for the La Liga side. Villarreal will be playing in the Champions League this season after finishing fifth in La Liga in the last campaign, which means Veiga may face his former side if the draw allows it.0