Mauricio Pochettino ‘orders’ Chelsea chiefs to hijack Liverpool’s £34m transfer

Chelsea are reportedly planning to hijack Liverpool’s £34million deal for Celta Vigo starlet Gabri Veiga at the request of new boss Mauricio Pochettino. Both teams are in search of midfield reinforcements and have eyed the 21-year-old as the potential solution to their problems.

Celta are resigned to losing their star man after a stunning La Liga season as he has a release clause in his contract of just £34m – alerting clubs both in the Premier League and across Europe. Liverpool had been one of the stronger links as Jurgen Klopp looks to complete an overhaul of his midfield, beginning with the completed deal for Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister.

The Reds had been prepared to make a ‘concrete move’ for Veiga as journalist Rudy Galetti told Give Me Sport that “the race for Veiga will be won by the fastest club.” He also tipped Manchester City, Real Madrid and Napoli to make efforts to land the midfielder, though Chelsea could now enter the race.

Spanish outlet Relevo claim that Pochettino has insisted that the Blues pay his release clause as part of the club’s rebuild, with the Argentine looking to formulate his squad amid a mass clear-out by Todd Boehly and co as a result of the huge £600m spending spree over the past two transfer windows prior to Pochettino’s arrival.

The report states that as Veiga has a fixed fee in his contract, it will be up to the clubs to persuade him to pick them over their rivals. Liverpool do have an advantage but Chelsea are said to have ‘fully entered the race’ as Pochettino has taken the initiative in the transfer market with regards to Veiga.

Chelsea may have intensified efforts to land Veiga after talks were described as ‘slow’ with Brighton for Moises Caicedo after the Seagulls slapped a price tag of over £100m for the Ecuadorian. Veiga had been named as one of the Blues’ alternatives as they are looking to be more cautious in this window, with Romeo Lavia another on the shortlist of players that could be paired with Enzo Fernandez.