Could Barcelona beat Real Madrid to the signing of Celta star Gabri Veiga?

As AS has reported in recent weeks, Real Madrid are monitoring Gabri Veiga’s situation. The promising Celta Vigo midfielder has had a breakout season with nine goals and four assists. It is not exactly a plan B in case the Jude Bellingham move falls through; Madrid are evaluating the option of Veiga independently. The Spanish midfielder knows LaLiga and his clause is set at the feasible fee of €40m.

One thing is certain and that is that Veiga will not remain at Celta. The Galician club - as already mentioned publicly president Carlos Mouriño - know he’s on the way out. The €40m fee will make it impossible for Celta to on to the 21-year-old star and the player’s representatives have been receiving proposals and approaches for months.

Veiga remains open to many options. He has received interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, as well as from Bayern Munich and from both Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. As of today, a decision has not been taken regarding his future.

Barça one step ahead

In Spain, it appears that the main option for him right now is Barcelona, due to a question of timing. If Veiga goes to Barcelona, he could slot straight into the starting eleven, but it remains to be seen whether Barça can make room for him in terms of salary.

Real Madrid are keeping a watchful eye on how the deal develops: Bellingham is their priority at the moment, but they will be kept informed of any moves for Veiga and will act accordingly. Everything depends to a large extent on the departures that may occur in the Madrid squad, especially in the case of Dani Ceballos. The departure of Ceballos would make a Veiga deal possible.