Renato Veiga joins Chelsea to become club’s fifth signing of the summer

have announced the signing of Renato Veiga from FC Basel.

The versatile 20-year-old has put pen to paper on a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge, including the option of a further year.

Veiga becomes the Blues’ fifth signing of the following deals for Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Aston Villa’s Omari Kellyman, Barcelona’s Marc Guiu and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo.

After several weeks of talks between Chelsea and FC Basel, it’s understood Veiga, who was previously linked with Arsenal and Wolves, arrives in west London for a fee of around £12million.

The highly rated Under-21 international – who can play at centre-back, left-back and as a defensive midfielder – is expected join up with ’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.

He went on to join FC Basel last summer and attracted Chelsea’s attention with a string of accomplished performances in Switzerland, where he made 26 appearances in all competitions last season.

On the international stage, Veiga was an ever-present in Portugal U21s’ European Championship qualifiers, helping his country win all six of their matches ahead of next year’s tournament in Slovakia.

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.’

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