Wanted Chelsea star 'trusting the project' and only wants loan move | OneFootball

Renato Veiga is only interested in leaving Chelsea on a six-month loan deal, it has been claimed, in contrast to previous reports that stated he'd be interested in moving to Borussia Dortmund permanently.

The 21-year-old utility star, who can play at centre-back, left-back and in defensive midfield, only joined Chelsea from Basel in July for a fee in the region of €14m, penning a seven-year contract with a further one-year option.

Veiga has played 18 times for Chelsea in all competitions, mostly as a regular for Enzo Maresca in the Conference League, and emerged as a potential target for Borussia Dortmund earlier this month.

Reports in Germany previously claimed that Veiga had reached a 'total verbal agreement' to join Dortmund, who are also trying to strike a deal for Chelsea teammate Carney Chukwuemeka, but the two clubs had yet to come to an agreement over a fee.

Dortmund were said to be the ones pushing for a loan move with Chelsea wanting to sanction a permanent sale, hoping to persuade the Bundesliga giants to part with close to €35m (£29m).

But Fabrizio Romano reports that Veiga has only ever been interested in leaving Chelsea on a temporary basis and remains committed to the club's long-term project. The three-cap Portugal international will only consider a six-month loan move as a result, with a view to returning to Chelsea in the future to fight for a regular starting spot.

Chelsea need to get Ben Chilwell off the books / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages

Chelsea's first-choice left-back - Veiga's preferred position - is Marc Cucurella and they also still have Ben Chilwell on the books, though he is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season and has been told he can look for a new club.

Whether or not Chelsea can find a taker for their vice-captain remains to be seen. Signed from Leicester City in August 2020 for a fee of £45m, Chilwell has contended with a vast number of injuries during his time at Stamford Bridge, with the 27 appearances he made in his first season at the club comfortably the most he's achieved.

Chilwell, who signed a new four-year contract in April 2023, played just 13 Premier League games last season after missing three months of action with a hamstring injury, though he did captain Chelsea in last February's Carabao Cup final - a game Liverpool won 1-0 thanks to Virgil van Dijk's 118th-minute header.