Chelsea defender Renato Veiga emerges as January transfer target for Serie A giants: Reports

Chelsea star Renato Veiga has reportedly emerged as a loan option for Serie A outfit Napoli in the January transfer window. The Portuguese international is seen as an attractive option for the Partenopei, who are managed by former Blues manager Antonio Conte.

Napoli terminated the contract of veteran Portuguese left-back Mario Rui earlier this month, leaving a vacuum in their squad. According to Fabrizio Romano (via 90Min), they are looking to fill that gap by moving for 21-year-old defender Veiga this month.

If he joins, the versatile Portuguese star will compete with Mathias Olivera and Leonardo Spinazzolla for a starting berth at left-back.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has repeatedly sung the praises of Veiga since he completed a reported £12 million from FC Basel in the summer. The youngster has played in a variety of positions, including left-back, centre-back, defensive midfield, and central midfield for the Italian tactician, making him a key member of the squad.

Renato Veiga has mostly featured in the UEFA Conference League, where he has scored two goals for the club, and the Carabao Cup. The defender has played seven times in the Premier League, starting just once for the Blues.

His addition to the squad in the summer seemingly marked the end of Ben Chilwell's career at Stamford Bridge.

With the Blues already out of the Carabao Cup and not in Conference League action until March, Veiga is likely to see very little action for the remainder of the campaign.

The former Sporting CP youngster may ask for a loan move for him, as the club has made its stance known that it will not stand in the way of players looking to move.

Could Chelsea signing be set for accelerated responsibility following switch?

Chelsea activated their option to recall teenage star Aaron Anselmino from his loan spell with Boca Juniors this month despite a previous agreement to leave the player in Argentina until July. The news of the recall came shortly before the club announced that Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are set for extended spells on the sidelines.

Anselmino, 19, is a right-sided centre-back, whose talent has been attested to by Boca president Juan Roman Riquelme in recent weeks. He will immediately commence training with Chelsea to bring him up to speed and could feature before the season ends.

Enzo Maresca presently has Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi, as well as 18-year-old Josh Acheampong as options for the right-sided centre-back position. He could yet turn to Anselmino, who made 13 league appearances for Boca Juniors in the 2024 season, as another option.