Villarreal agree club-record deal with Chelsea for 22-year-old defender | OneFootball

Villarreal have received well in excess of €75m from sales this summer, and they are about to reinvest a big portion of that on a new signing. There has been a strong desire to bring in another centre-back due to long-term injuries suffered by Logan Costa and Willy Kambwala, and they have now got their man.

Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that Villarreal were in for Chelsea defender Renato Veiga, who had also attracted strong interest from Atletico Madrid prior to their signing of David Hancko. Club-to-club talks have been ongoing, and although there had been a gap in valuation, this is no longer the case.

As per Fabrizio Romano, Villarreal have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Veiga. The deal will be worth €29.5m, with the Premier League side also retaining a significant sell-on clause as part of the arrangement.

Renato Veiga celebrates a goal for Chelsea (Image via Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Veiga will overtake Arnaut Danjuma as record signing

Veiga, who will operate as a left-sided central defender in Marcelino Garcia Toral’s squad, will become Villarreal’s record transfer upon his arrival at La Ceramica. Arnaut Danjuma currently holds that title (signed from AFC Bournemouth for €23.5m in 2021), but it will soon go to the  Portugal international – and there will be hope that he proves to be a much more successful signing.

Villarreal now have very strong defensive options, with Veiga joining Juan Foyth, Rafa Marin and Santiago Mourino as centre-backs at the disposal of Marcelino. Provided that a deal is wrapped up quickly, he could be in line to make his debut when Girona visit La Ceramica this coming weekend.

Villarreal have generated well in excess of €200m from sales in recent years, so they have the budget to splash out on Veiga. It remains to be seen whether he is a success in Vila-Real.