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

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

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.