Chelsea have agreed to loan Renato Veiga out to Juventus for the rest of the season, according to various reports.

The versatile defender has been linked with numerous clubs this summer. Napoli were briefly floated as a keen suitor while Veiga had reportedly agreed a contract with Borussia Dortmund, but Juve appear to have won the race for the 21-year-old.

The Blues were thought to be demanding as much as £29m for a permanent deal this month – Veiga arrived from Basel in a transfer worth just £11.8m six months ago.

Fabrizio Romano claimed that Juventus have agreed a six-month loan deal. The Serie A outfit will pay a €5m (£4.2m) fee before Veiga returns to Chelsea on 30 June, in time for the knockout stages of this summer’s expanded Club World Cup.

Veiga has been widely praised by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca this season, hailing the Portugal international for his versatility while handing him 18 appearances across all competitions – as many as first-choice forward Jadon Sancho.

However, Veiga had grown frustrated with Maresca’s insistence on playing him as an inverted left-back who wanders into midfield rather than a centre-back, according to the BBC. Romano reports that Veiga will play in his preferred position at Juventus, who have a shortage of defensive options after season-ending injuries to Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer.

The Blues have already triggered an early return for Trevoh Chalobah, whisking the former loanee away from Crystal Palace and back to Stamford Bridge, where he was quickly thrust straight in to the first team against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.

Chelsea are also exploring fresh recruits in midfield and are challenging Arsenal in their pursuit of a new striker.