Gabri Veiga is ‘not for sale’ but Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United could still land the La Liga star if they are willing to stump up £33 million.
Celta Vigo, it seems, are adopting a hardline stance as the window enters it’s final month-and-a-half.
Speaking to AS and Marca on Thursday, the club’s sporting director Juan Carlos Calero, made it clear that anyone hoping to negotiate and haggle over a deal for their much-coveted Spain U21 international will be left disappointed.
Gabri Veiga, Calero says, is ‘not for sale’. Well, not for a fee below his release clause, anyway.
And, as release clauses go, this is a very affordable one. After opting against stumping up for James Maddison or Dominik Szoboszlai, Newcastle United could make a move for Veiga instead, the £33 million fee required far kinder to the club’s Financial Fair Play concerns.
Tottenham or Newcastle could make Gabri Veiga move
“The (Celta) president expressed it very clearly; Gabri Veiga is not for sale,” Calero says, before pulling a U-turn and adding that the top-scoring midfielder in La Liga last season could still be on his way out of Balaidos.
“But they are going to buy him from us.”
Veiga scored 11 goals during a superb breakthrough campaign in 2022/23. Liverpool showed an interest, according to Fabrizio Romano, but are now looking elsewhere after bringing Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to Anfield.
But keep an eye on Tottenham (Le10 Sport). Veiga, tenacious and technical in equal measure, is the prototype Ange Postecoglou midfielder, and a Spurs side who recently signed Maddison from Leicester could still need another with the futures of Bryan Gil, Gio Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele uncertain.
“Today, we have the player. And he has a return date (for pre-season); July 25. From now until the end of the window, we do not know what will happen,” Calero adds.
“It may be that an offer arrives that we have to listen to but, as of today, there are none on the table. There is a lot of interest since he took the leap (forward).
“He is excited about his return, and we are counting on him.”
Celta are now under the stewardship of former Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton boss Rafa Benitez.
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