(Credit: Hasan Karim - Breaking Media, Imago)

Oliver Walton

Fri 8 August 2025 17:45, UK

Chelsea could hand Renato Veiga a huge incentive to stay at the club this summer following his failed move to Atletico Madrid.

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Versatile defender Veiga spent the second-half of last season out on loan at Juventus and recently helped Portugal to win the Nations League after he fell out of favour with Enzo Maresca.

The 22-year-old impressed with the Italian giants and looked set to rejoin his Chelsea teammates this summer, but he was left out of the Blues’ Club World Cup squad, with Juventus then turning down the chance to extend Veiga’s loan to cover the tournament.

AppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow Cards33226Veiga’s 2024/25 statistics (Chelsea & Juventus)

Football Insider revealed in April that Tottenham were interested in a move for Veiga this summer with Chelsea happy to sell for around £30million, and rumours around his exit have continued to arise, with ESPN reporting (23 July) that Atletico Madrid were set to meet with the Blues’ chiefs to finalise a deal for the Portuguese international to join to the La Liga giants.

However, transfer journalist Ben Jacobs reported via X (3 August) that Veiga’s move to Atleti had fallen through, and so with no transfer away seemingly imminent, he could be set for a reprieve under Maresca after Chelsea suffered a huge defensive blow.

https://x.com/jacobsben/status/1951962606282932675?s=46&t=busTurDhk_-RswKrlS6YdA

Football Insider recently revealed that the Blues are set to accept offers for centre-backs Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi this summer, and so the likes of Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and new signing Jorrel Hato looked set to be Maresca’s main options in that position for the new season, while Wesley Fofana returns from injury.

Disaster has struck for Chelsea in recent days, however, with Colwill suffering an ACL injury in training upon their return to Cobham which is set to rule him out of the duration of the 2025/26 campaign [The Athletic].

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While that will serve as a major blow for the Blues heading into the new season, Fabrizio Romano has reported via X that the club are not going to enter the transfer market to sign a new centre-back before the window closes.

(Credit Imago)

That leaves Veiga with a much better chance of game-time going forward, especially after Romano revealed back in January that he wanted to leave the club to “play centre back on [a] regular basis”, hence why he moved to Juve and subsequently shone in that position.

The 22-year-old could effectively be an in-house replacement for Colwill, as he wants to play at the heart of the defence, has already shown his quality in a top league and at international level, and also does not look set to move anywhere imminently as it stands.

Veiga impressed initially 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.

But despite only arriving at the club last summer signs of progress were quickly curtailed by his winter exit.

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 definitely keep him now following news of Colwill’s absence.

The academy product’s ACL surgery is certainly not good news for the Blues but might have opened the door for a surprise u-turn on Veiga, giving the Portuguese a second bite at making it at Stamford Bridge.

It would certainly be a shame to see him snubbed once again, unless he feels like he is better served somewhere else where he is set to be guaranteed more game-time, which is mainly what he needs at 22-years-old.

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