‘Chelsea spring surprise on Renato Veiga as Juventus deal lost’
Chelsea have caught Renato Veiga by surprise with their latest decision on him as his situation at Juventus was thrown into disarray.
Chelsea have the chance to add to their trophy cabinet next month as they enter the revamped Club World Cup competition with initial group games against LAFC, Flamengo and ES Tunis, but the Portuguese has not been called into the squad for the trip to the USA.
Enzo Maresca recently named his squad for the tournament, with some notable absentees including Raheem Sterling and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who could be set to move to AC Milan as a makeweight in a deal for Mike Maignan.
Another Blues first-team player that will not travel to the USA this summer is versatile defender Veiga, who spent the second-half of last season out on loan at Juventus and recently helped Portugal to win the Nations League.
The 21-year-old impressed with the Italian giants and looked set to rejoin his Chelsea teammates as they seek silverware, but he has been left out of the squad and further revelations around his situation have now emerged.
Juventus turned down the chance to extend Renato Veiga’s loan
The former Basel man’s future at Stamford Bridge has already been plunged into doubt beyond his time at Juventus, after Football Insider revealed in April that Tottenham were interested in a move for Veiga this summer with Chelsea happy to sell for around £30million.
With the campaign now over and both Juve and the Blues preparing for the Club World Cup, BBC Sport have reported that Igor Tudor’s side wanted to extend Veiga’s loan, for the duration of the tournament at least, but an expectation that Chelsea would not allow him to play in the competition for his loan club made him “less attractive” to sign.
The same report claims that source close to Veiga says he had expected to return to Chelsea to play in the competition after recently representing Portugal in the Nations League, and BBC journalist Nizaar Kinsella claims that he is “frustrated” that he has been left at home unable to play in the USA for either side.
Chelsea should keep Veiga unless they are offered a hefty fee
Football Insider verdict
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has revealed that the Blues are set to accept offers for centre-backs Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi this summer, so despite Maresca’s desire to freshen up his defensive options, it makes sense to look to keep Veiga based on his quality and versatility at the back.
The 21-year-old impressed when he was given a chance to help Chelsea in both the Premier League and Conference League last season, and his 18 appearances in all competitions saw him play at centre-back, left-back and defensive midfield, as he recorded two goals and one assist.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards |
| 33 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
He made 12 league starts for Juventus as they lost just twice with him in the team over the second-half of the campaign, and his form saw him called up to the Portugal squad for the Nations League, where he appeared in the final against Spain as they won their second title of the competition.
Veiga is a talented young player who has the potential to be a top Premier League defender, and with Chelsea not needing to make major sales to help their PSR situation, Maresca should keep him despite this Club World Cup snub.