Chelsea’s versatile defender Renato Veiga has verbally agreed to join Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund on loan this month, according to a report in Germany.

The Portugal international has impressed during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge since joining from FC Basel in the summer, lining up in a variety of roles – often within the same match. However, Veiga has struggled to break into Chelsea’s Premier League XI, making just one top-flight start all season.

Serie A title challengers Napoli sensed an opportunity to snap up the under-used 21-year-old in January, but Antonio Conte’s outfit are no longer favourites to land Veiga.

Borussia Dortmund have managed to strike a “total verbal agreement” with Veiga, according to Sky Sport Germany. The Bundesliga outfit, who have also registered their interest in Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka, are thought to be keen on agreeing a loan deal which includes an option to buy.

Veiga is supposedly “keen” on the move to Germany, but Chelsea have not come to an agreement and manager Enzo Maresca has openly expressed his desire to keep the versatile defender. “Renato is our player,” the Italian coach insisted ahead of Saturday’s thumping 5-0 FA Cup victory over Morecambe, which Veiga started. “He’s a player that we’re happy to have here with us.

“The last game he played was Tottenham away and in a delicate moment of the game we put him there. This showed how we trust Renato.

“But as I said, it’s not just what I think, or what the club thinks, or what the player thinks. It’s something that altogether we need to make the right decision for the club and the players and the manager.”

Fellow defender Axel Disasi could also be on his way out of west London. Sky Sports Italy revealed that the French centre-back is on Juventus’ shortlist of defensive reinforcements this month.

The Serie A giants are also battling Arsenal for Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo and retain an interest in Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva.

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