£29m reported fee means Chelsea’s quick flip of defender finally makes sense | OneFootball

As the rumours have grown more intense about a potential move for Renato Veiga away from Chelsea, we’ve been scratching our heads for a few reasons.

One thing that puzzles us is why the defender is so keen to leave – as an inexperienced young player coming from a smaller league, he was only promised backup status at Chelsea, and that’s just what he got. Why the rush to be off after 6 months where he’s played plenty, massively raised his profile and probably improved his game significantly by training alongside top players and under a rising coach?

The other question was from Chelsea’s point of view. Why sell a player who is an important part of your squad for such a small profit? The potential cost to your success this season is worth more than a few million in profit. It’s not just a question of leaving yourself without a backup left back, it’s a question of things like the balance in the dressing room too.

Bigger sale means deal makes more sense for Chelsea

Renato Veiga scores for Chelsea.

But that was when figures of £20m were being talked about in return for Veiga. The Athletic have today said that Chelsea have set an asking price of “up to £29m” for the defender. We’re not sure how an asking price can be “up to” something. Surely only offers can be “up to?”

In any case, getting £29m for a player you paid £12m 6 months ago is enough of a bump to make the quick flip worthwhile. A £17m profit is enough to justify the disruption to your team, helps with PSR and FFP, and gives you a chunk of money to spend on his replacement.

It feels unlikely we get the £29m we’re looking for, but even if that’s the final price with all add-ons and clauses included, it will be very tempting for the sporting structure.