Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Renato Vega (Photo by Michael Regan, Ryan Pearce/Getty Images)
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has issued a warning to Renato Vega amid reports he wants to leave Stamford Bridge as he is only keen to play as a centre-back.
The talented 21-year-old He joined Chelsea from Basel last summerand has shown some promise at the club so far, even if he is not a regular in Marisca's starting lineup.
It appears now Vega could be seeking a quick exit from Chelseawith Fabrizio Romano reporting that he could be on his way to Borussia Dortmund due to his desire to play only as a midfielder, rather than filling in at left-back on occasion.
See below for Romano's post about the future of the Veiga…
?? Renato Vega is expected to leave Chelsea as the club opened the doors to a permanent exit – not a loan one.
Chelsea wants around 30 million euros for Vega to leave in response to his request to go and play as a centre-back, rather than as a left-back.
???? The full agreement between Borussia Dortmund and Vega regarding the contract/project is in effect. pic.twitter.com/hyQRH3UC37
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 13, 2025
Chelsea fans have been given a huge update on the pursuit of a £70million transfer
Meanwhile, Maresca himself appears to have not taken kindly to the stories, as he defended the job Chelsea did with Vega.
See below where Ben Jacobs quotes Marisca warning Vega and other players that they have to be able to play multiple positions to help the team…
Enzo Maresca responds to Renato Vega amid transfer speculation
?? “I spoke with Renato. I told him that playing in the position he plays in with us, it gave him the opportunity to join the national team and create speculation around him, which only happens when he plays well. If there is a player who wants to play in just one match… https://t.co/TDzaqbazLB
– Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 13, 2025
Maresca said: “I am not aware of any agreement (with Dortmund) regarding Renato.”
“Yesterday, he was here working with us. Today, he is here working with us. Then we will see if something happens.
“We brought Renato from Basel and he played well in different positions. This allowed him to join the (Portugal) national team for the first time in his life.
“Even if he is not playing in his ‘preferred position’, he has been playing for his country and is in his early 20s since joining Chelsea. We are very proud of that.”
He added: “I had a conversation with Renato. I told him to play in the position he plays for us, it gave him the chance to join the national team and created speculation around him, which only happens when you play well.
“If a player only wants to play in one position, he will struggle. They have to learn to play in different positions because that is good for the player and the club.
It will be interesting to see if Maresca's intervention here has the desired effect and convinces Vega to stay and adapt to playing different roles, or if this ends up being a criticism of the player on his way out of the club.
