Villarreal have been putting in a lot of work to sign Renato Veiga, their “dream target”, and it looks like their efforts will indeed come to fruition. Having recently agreed personal terms with the 22-year-old defender, the La Liga side have now also managed to strike a deal with Chelsea.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the two sides have agreed a €29.5m “package”, which includes an unspecified fee up front, some add-ons and such, and also a “heavy” sell-on clause. Depending on the specifics, this
might be a new record incoming transfer for Villarreal. It’s certainly close either way, and represents a significant investment from the Champions League-bound club. The overall value of the package is more than double what Chelsea paid FC Basel thirteen months ago.
Veiga, who didn’t like playing left back for Enzo Maresca, spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus, where he could fulfill his center back desires. Presumably he will continue in that vein in Spain, helping to solidify his case for the Portuguese national team in a World Cup year.
In another timeline, Veiga might’ve been kept as emergency cover following Levi Colwill’s long-term injury, but I suppose the situation had advanced well beyond that a long time ago.
