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Enzo Maresca says he is ‘not aware’ of any deal to sell Renato Veiga this month, but has warned the volatile defender not to ignore the role Chelsea have played in his rapid rise.
Veiga is attracting interest from several clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, and Chelsea are prepared to sanction a January departure for a player who only joined Basel last summer.
The Blues paid just £12million to sign the Portuguese from the Swiss side and hope to more than double their money within six months if he leaves Stamford Bridge before the window closes.
“At the moment I am not aware that there is a deal for Renato,” Maresca said on Monday, ahead of Tuesday night’s Premier League encounter with Bournemouth.
“The only thing I can say is that yesterday he was working here with us and today he will be here with us.
“That means at the moment he is our player. Then we’ll see if anything happens. I don’t know if there is already an agreement with him.
Veiga was relatively unknown when signed this summer and has only started one Premier League game this season, but his versatility has been useful to Maresca, who have used the 21-year-old in a variety of roles, including central defender. , left back and midfielder – during his team rotation for European and domestic cup matches.
Despite his lack of league minutes, Veiga has caught the eye of Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, who received a first international call-up in the autumn, and Maresca believes Chelsea should take credit for his rapid development.
“We bought Renato from Basel, he came here and played in different positions and played well,” Maresca said. “It allowed him to join the national team for the first time in his life.
“If he plays for the national team, it probably means that in the position he plays he can do well.”
Veiga’s three appearances in Portugal so far have been as a central defender and some suggest the player is frustrated at not being used in his preferred role more often by his club.
Chelsea have been going through something of an injury crisis at centre-back recently, with Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile injured. However, while Josh Acheampong, Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo all came on, Veiga’s only starts at the heart of defense came against Panathanikos and Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League.
Maresca, however, said he spoke to Veiga about the matter and warned him that he should be prepared to play various roles.
“I had a conversation with Renato,” he said. “I told him the exact same thing I just told you.
“As for the position he has with us, it gave him the chance to join the national team and probably also the chance to have this speculation around him. That means clubs are looking for him. Clubs look for players who perform well, not those who perform poorly.
“If there’s a player who just wants to play one position, he’s going to struggle. They have to adapt, they have to learn to play different positions, which is a good thing for the team.
When asked if Veiga was frustrated by his lack of playing time more generally, Maresca added: “Yes, but I’ve said several times that I want long hair too! But we have more than 20 players, 25 players and they all want to play but it’s not possible.
