Chelsea star will only be allowed to join Borussia Dortmund on a PERMANENT deal this month, amid loan interest – as two Premier League rivals eye-up £12m-rated international
- Renato Veiga joined Chelsea from Swiss side Basel for £12 million this summer
- Veiga has featured regularly in cup competitions but could leave this month
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Chelsea are reluctant to let Renato Veiga join Borussia Dortmund on loan, but talks over a permanent deal could continue.
Veiga, 21, joined Chelsea from Basel for £12 million this summer and can play as a wing-back or centre-back but has been on the fringes of the first team.
The defender has made just one Premier League start and was even left out of the Blues squad by Enzo Maresca for the Boxing Day defeat to Fulham due to a ‘technical’ decision.
However, Veiga has been a regular in cup competitions, with the 21-year-old playing every minute of Chelsea’s eight UEFA Conference League games this season, while also making three appearances in the FA and Carabao Cup.
This included all 90 minutes of the 5-0 thumping of League Two strugglers Morecambe on Saturday afternoon.
Wolves, Bournemouth, Stuttgart, Napoli and Juventus have also shown interest in the Portugal international – with Veiga open to a move for more regular playing time at centre-back.
Chelsea are reluctant to let Renato Veiga join Borussia Dortmund on loan this month
But they are open to Veiga’s permanent departure after just one start in the Premier League
In addition to Borussia Dortmund, Wolves and Bournemouth are also interested in Veiga
The 21-year-old is one of several Chelsea stars linked with a January exit, with the likes of Ben Chilwell, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka also expected to leave this month.
Meanwhile, despite his lack of playing time, Maresca spoke last week about how he ‘trusted’ Veiga.
“He’s the same as Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall),” Maresca said on Friday. ‘Renato is our player, [on Saturday] he is going to play and he is a player we would like to have here with us.
‘The last game he played was Tottenham away and at a delicate moment in the game we put him there. This showed how much confidence we have in Renato.
‘But like I said, it’s not just about what I think, or what the club thinks, or what the player thinks.
“It’s something we all need to do to make the right decision for the club, the players and the manager.”
The defender was also part of the Portuguese selection this season and won three caps for Roberto Martinez’s team.
Veiga and Chelsea, who are currently fourth in the Premier League, are back in action on Tuesday when they host Bournemouth.