Chelsea could be involved in two defender transfers
Chelsea defender Renato Veiga has travelled to Italy to complete his loan move to Juventus, while it has emerged that Blues target Dean Huijsen has a release clause in his Bournemouth contract.
Veiga only joined Chelsea last summer, arriving in a £12million (€14.3m / $14.9m) deal after impressing at FC Basel. But 18 appearances later and the Portuguese is on the move once again.
In recent weeks, Veiga has become frustrated with his lack of game time in the Premier League. He also wants to play at centre-half regularly, whereas Enzo Maresca has often used him as a left-back.
Borussia Dortmund submitted a loan offer for the player on January 17, but they have been beaten to his capture by Juventus.
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Veiga flew to Turin overnight to complete a medical ahead of formally joining Juve.
The transfer is a straight loan with no option or obligation for Juve to buy in the summer. Chelsea will receive around €5m (£4.2m / $5.2m) for Veiga from the Serie A giants.
The plan is for Veiga to pick up more game time at centre-back with Juve and continue his development. The 21-year-old will then return to West London ahead of next season and fight for a starting spot under Maresca.
TEAMtalk revealed a week ago that Juve had made enquiries for both Veiga and Ben Chilwell. They only needed one of those players, however, and have acted on their interest in the former.
Dean Huijsen could improve Chelsea backline
While Veiga has left Stamford Bridge on a temporary basis, Chelsea are already looking at potential targets for the summer transfer window.
Romano has revealed that Chelsea ‘really appreciate’ Huijsen’s talent and hold strong interest in the Bournemouth star.
Huijsen has a release clause in his contract which will become active this summer, though the exact price has yet to emerge.
Chelsea look set to rival a host of top clubs for the impressive centre-back, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United.
Huijsen has been a key part of Bournemouth’s success in recent months and has established himself as a crucial player under Andoni Iraola.
Since the Spain U21 international forced his way into the starting eleven on December 5, Bournemouth have gone unbeaten in 10 Premier League games and kept eight clean sheets.
The fact Huijsen is only 19 years old is particularly exciting for Chelsea, as they believe he can develop into an elite defender.
Chelsea transfers: Aston Villa link; forward talks scheduled
Veiga is not the only defender who could leave Chelsea this month, as Aston Villa have been tipped to swoop for Axel Disasi.
As per reports, Villa are ‘exploring a move’ for Disasi after Diego Carlos left for Fenerbahce and Tyrone Mings suffered an injury setback.
Disasi is free to leave Chelsea as he is not in Maresca’s plans, which is why the Blues recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his Crystal Palace loan.
In terms of Chelsea signings, Stamford Bridge chiefs are on the hunt for a new winger amid uncertainty surrounding Mykhailo Mudryk’s future.
Talks have been held over Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho, though he is not the only option.
There will be a fresh round of discussions with Bayern for Mathys Tel, who could be involved in a swap deal with Christopher Nkunku.
