Chelsea agree fee with Aston Villa for Carney Chukwuemeka
Chelsea agree a £20m fee with Aston Villa to sign highly-rated teenage midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka… with Blues fighting off competition from Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona to land England U19 star
- Chelsea have pounced to land Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka
- England U19 star had attracted interest from Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona
- Chukwuemeka had a year left on his deal but had resisted extension attempts
- Midfielder made 14 appearances last season but only three of them were starts
Chelsea have raided Aston Villa to sign highly-rated midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka in a deal worth up to £20million.
The Blues have pounced to land the England under-19 midfielder, who had attracted interest from clubs including Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, in a surprise swoop.
Chelsea and Villa have agreed a fee, made up of an initial £15m plus add-ons, with Chukwuemeka granted permission to travel to London to finalise personal terms and undergo a medical.
Chelsea have raided Aston Villa to sign highly-rated midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka
Steven Gerrard left the 18-year-old out of Villa’s pre-season tour due to his contract situation
Chukwuemeka had a year left on his Villa deal but had opted against signing an extension due to concerns about his playing time.
Manager Steven Gerrard confirmed the 18-year-old had been left out of Villa’s pre-season tour due to his contact situation and Villa have now sanctioned his sale.
Chukwuemeka made 14 appearances last season but only three of them were starts.
Villa CEO Christian Purslow once described him as ‘probably the best 16-year-old in England’ and he starred for the Young Lions during the summer, helping them win the under-19 Euros and being named in the team of the tournament.
The U19 Euros winner made 14 Villa appearances last term, but only three of them were starts
Meanwhile Chelsea are continuing to push to bolster their defence and proceeding with moves for Leicester defender Wesley Fofana and Brighton’s left back Marc Cucurella.
Leicester have taken a firm ‘not for sale’ stance on 21-year-old Fofana, who signed a five-year deal in March.
Though Chelsea, whose need for centre backs is pressing after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and only being able to add Kalidou Koulibaly, remain undeterred with Fofana thought to be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Fofana removed a reference to Leicester from his Twitter biography and also made a number of cryptic posts on Instagram hinting that he is contemplating his future.
Chelsea are proceeding with moves for Wesley Fofana (left) and Marc Cucurella (right)
Chelsea have considered offering players in exchange in a bid to tempt Leicester with Ruben Loftus-Cheek one name mooted and Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers a long-term admirer.
Loftus-Cheek, though, is keen to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea.
Talks are ongoing over a £50m deal for Cucurella to join Chelsea from Brighton, a switch that could see promising defender Levi Colwill head in the opposite direction – either in part-exchange or a separate move – with the Seagulls having a long-term interest in the 21-year-old.
Chelsea are also in the market for a right back option and have added Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters to their list which already includes Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is one name mooted who could be offered to try and tempt Leicester
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