Chelsea looking at £43m Veiga replacement who could become their own Saka
The latest story on the Chelsea bulletin is Borussia Dortmund’s efforts toward signing 21-year-old defender Renato Veiga, who joined in the summer but could be turned over for a big profit, price tagged at roughly £25m.
While Enzo Maresca’s team are looking to offload several players this year, such is the nature of Stamford Bridge’s bloated squad, there’s every chance that action could be taken heading down the other side of the transfer motorway, with a left-sided defender being targetted to potentially replace Veiga.
Chelsea eyeing Renato Veiga replacement
While Marc Cucurella has the left-back position on lock in the Premier League, it would be important for the Blues to sign a replacement for Veiga, especially as Ben Chilwell is headed for the exit this month too.
As such, there might be something in the rumour that Chelsea are interested in signing Patrick Dorgu, with Caught Offside revealing that the west Londoners could pounce given that long-time admirers Manchester United have still yet to make their move.
The €50m (£43m)-rated full-back is athletic and powerful and would act as the perfect foil to a less energetic player like Cucurella. However, the signs suggest that Dorgu won’t let himself be pigeonholed into any one positional category.
What Patrick Dorgu would bring to Chelsea
Dorgu, who plays for Serie A club Lecce, might only be at the start of his career but he’s already created a reputation as one of Italian football’s most promising talents, having been hailed for his “explosive” qualities by analyst Ben Mattinson.
With 55 professional appearances for Lecce to his name, the Danish talent is headed for the top and could be an instant success at Chelsea as Cucurella’s understudy, having scored three top-flight goals from 19 matches this season while incredibly winning an average of seven duels per game, as per Sofascore.
This is a perfect indicator of the talent that Chelsea would be getting their hands on, and given that the left-footer’s offensive qualities have been recognised to the degree that he has started playing in a more offensive role on the right flank, he may prove to be the club’s answer to Bukayo Saka.
Right winger
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Left-back
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Left winger
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Right-back
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Saka is one of the best forwards in Europe, with the Arsenal winger having scored nine goals and supplied 13 more assists for the title-chasing Gunners this season. Pundit Theo Walcott remarked that “the level he’s getting to is frightening” one month ago.
Of course, Mikel Arteta used to field him as a left-back, often filling in during the 2019/20 campaign as he sought to break into the first team and keep his place. The 23-year-old Saka has featured 22 times in the position across his already distinguished career, racking up five assists.
Like Dorgu, Saka is a player who embodies the myriad facets of the game. Oh sure, his silky passing and fierce ball-striking ability allow him to wake up with his name spelt across the headlines, but with a Premier League average of 4.9 successful duels and 1.4 tackles per game this season (Sofascore), you can see why he’s held in such high regard.
Such underlying data has served Dorgu well in the maiden stage of his career. Truly, he could follow in the England superstar’s footsteps at Chelsea, covering for Cucurella but perhaps with one eye on a future further up the field.
Denmark Under-21s coach Steffen Højer has praised the youngster’s “special” qualities, and now he might be the perfect man to improve the Chelsea project.
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