Chelsea have identified Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga as their potential Mason Mount replacement this summer as they prepare for the midfielder’s departure should it happen ahead of the new season.
Mount has been the subject of widespread interest from across the Premier League and Manchester United have already seen three bids turned down for the Englishman, who has one year left to run on his deal at Stamford Bridge.
The latest, worth a total of £55m, was rejected last week and United have determined not to bid any higher, though it is believed that they will enter negotiations with the Blues in the coming days over payment structures in a bid to find an agreement, with personal terms not set to be a problem.
That, combined with the departures of Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, N’Golo Kante and the impending departure of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, has left the Blues looking for additions in midfield.
In that vein, they have identified Celta Vigo star Veiga, who has a 40m euro release clause and has caught the eye of clubs across Europe.
According to the London Evening Standard, ‘the success of their clear-out of unwanted players means Chelsea are also increasingly open to signing a more attacking midfielder’, alongside their widely reported interest in Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
“We do not want to sell him under any circumstances but they are going to buy him from us. He will decide where he wants to go but that club will have to pay the clause”, Celta Vigo’s president Carlos Mourino explained at the end of last season.
The Blues have already signed one promising youngster from La Liga, picking up striker Nicolas Jackson in a deal worth £35m, and they could now look to steal a march on their Premier League opposition for Veiga too.
With 11 goals last season, the 21-year-old broke out last season and was thought to be on the radar of both Real Madrid and Barcelona too, though they have subsequently moved for other options.
