Renato Veiga from FC Basel has been revealed as a new addition to Chelsea.
The adaptable 20-year-old signed a seven-year contract with Stamford Bridge, with a further year’s option.
Veiga joins the Blues as their fifth summer addition after transactions involving Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Leicester, Omari Kellyman of Aston Villa, Marc Guiu of Barcelona, and Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham.
It is believed that Veiga, who was previously connected to Wolves and Arsenal, comes in west London for a sum of about £12 million following several weeks of negotiations between Chelsea and FC Basel.
The highly rated Portugal Under-21 international – who can play at centre-back, left-back and as a defensive midfielder – is expected join up with Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad for pre-season training over the coming days.
‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be here,’ Veiga told Chelsea’s official website.
‘This is one of the biggest clubs in England – the biggest for me – and I’m just really excited to get started.’
The Lisbon-born youngster spent his formative years in Sporting’s academy before completing a loan switch to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg in January 2023.
After joining FC Basel in the summer of last year, he made 26 appearances across all competitions in Switzerland, where he impressed Chelsea with a series of impressive displays.
Veiga was a constant on the international scene, helping Portugal U21s qualify for the European Championship by winning all six of their games to advance to the competition the following year.
Veiga, who stands at 6ft 3in, describes himself as a ‘complete player’ who likes to ‘control’ matches both in and out of possession.
‘I’m a smart, aggressive player,’ Veiga explains.
‘I’m comfortable on the ball and I would describe myself as a complete player due to my versatility.
‘I’m comfortable in many positions on the pitch. I wouldn’t say I have a favourite position because it depends on the opponent or tactical elements, but I have played at left-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder.
‘I like to defend a lot and with my height and physical strength, I enjoy it. I like to control the game with or without the ball.’