Chelsea transfer news: Renato Veiga £12m hint dropped as "talks" confirmed

The 20-year-old learned his trade in the Sporting Lisbon youth ranks but failed to make a senior appearance for the Portuguese giants, who loaned him out to Augsburg in the Bundesliga in the second half of the 2022-23 season.

Veiga earned plentiful minutes in the German top flight and was eventually sold to Basel in a £3.9m deal, and he has gone from strength to strength since his move to Switzerland.

The Portuguese youngster scored two goals and set up one more in 26 matches during the 2023-24 campaign, where his versatility came to the fore as he featured in a multitude of positions.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, the 6ft 3in Veiga was also deployed as an attacking midfielder, right-back and centre-back, the latter of which he often starts in for Portugal's Under-21 side.

The 20-year-old is still waiting to make his first senior appearance for Portugal and unsurprisingly did not earn a call-up to their Euro 2024 squad, meaning that his pre-season period is now well underway.

Basel confirm Veiga transfer talks with curt statement

However, Veiga is no longer being put through his paces in Basel's training camp in Austria, as the Swiss giants announced that the midfielder is currently discussing a transfer elsewhere.

"Renato Veiga has left the training camp - he is in talks with another club," Basel said in a statement, and even though they did not reveal the identity of the club, it is believed to be Chelsea.

The Blues are reportedly prepared to pay around £12m for the signing of the 2003-born midfielder, who has already given the green light to personal terms with the West London giants.

Should a transfer go through imminently, Veiga could become the fifth new recruit of Chelsea's Enzo Maresca era, following Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have also won the intense race to capture Palmeiras phenom Estevao Willian, who will officially become a Chelsea player next summer, following his 18th birthday in April 2025.

Chelsea are still thought to be pursuing another experienced centre-forward and a new goalkeeper before the new Premier League season, which for the Blues begins with a daunting home clash against champions Manchester City on August 18.