Chelsea believe Renato Veiga offers more value than Calafiori

According to The Athletic, Chelsea believe Renato Veiga is better-earning than Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori.

The Blues have agreed a deal worth €14 million with Swiss club Basel for the Portuguese U20 international, who could be the club’s sixth summer signing.

Veiga is expected to be announced as a Chelsea player this week after completing his medical and will sign a long-term contract until 2032.

Chelsea believe Veiga offers more money than Calafiori

The news of the Veiga deal came out of nowhere last week and surprised many as there were no links to the 20-year-old in the media.

Veiga is an all-rounder as he can play as a centre-back, left-back and midfield, but the Blues probably see him as a left-back who can also switch to midfield.

Chelsea were looking for a left-footed defender and now seem to have found their man. Whether he will be part of the first team squad in the new season will be decided after pre-season training.

The Blues had been linked with a transfer of Italian international Calafiori, but there has been no official offer for the Italian international, who is on the verge of joining rivals Arsenal.

According to a report from The Athletic, Chelsea have been quietly pursuing the Veiga deal and believe he actually represents a far better offer than Calafiori, who is likely to cost more than double Veiga’s €14 million.

The signing of Veiga is another sign that Chelsea are addressing the lack of size in the team, which was a concern last season.

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Both Veiga and Tosin Adarabioyo are tall and have a physical presence that should help Chelsea on set pieces in both penalty areas, an area where the Blues really struggled last season.

Only time will tell how well Veiga performs, but given the low price, it seems like a smart, low-risk, high-reward signing.