Chelsea have agreed to sell defender Renato Veiga to Villarreal for a fee potentially rising to £26 million, taking the club’s total player sales this summer beyond the £250 million mark.
The 22-year-old Portugal international is set to sign a seven-year contract and is expected to complete a medical in Spain on Thursday. Villarreal’s offer is close to their transfer record.
Veiga joined Chelsea from FC Basel in 2024 for £12 million but made just 18 appearances and spent part of last season on loan at Juventus. Deemed surplus by manager Enzo Maresca, Veiga had been training with the so-called “bomb squad,” a group of senior players excluded from first-team duties. He also requested a positional change from left-back to centre-back midway through the season.
Chelsea stand to make a significant profit on the sale. Atletico Madrid had also expressed interest earlier in the transfer window.
This deal will boost Chelsea’s total revenue from selling 11 players this summer to around £251.7 million, helping to offset the £277 million spent on nine new signings during a busy transfer window.
The biggest departures include Noni Madueke’s initial £48 million move to Arsenal, Joao Felix’s deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr for a fee rising to £43.7 million, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s £28 million transfer to Everton.
Chelsea remain active, pursuing Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons before the transfer deadline on September 1. The club is also looking to offload players such as Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, and Axel Disasi.
