Aston Villa
Premier League • England
Carney Chukwuemeka latest: Aston Villa star refusing to budge as list of suitors continues to grow
Carney Chukwuemeka reportedly has no interest in discussing a new contract with Aston Villa right now amid interest from a number of clubs in his signature.
The 18-year-old currently has less than 12 months remaining on his existing Villa Park deal. But he has repeatedly turned down offers of a new contract with Steven Gerrard’s men.
Chukwuemeka made 12 Premier League appearances last season, although only two of those were starts. And it’s reported that he wants more top-flight game time, hence his decision to stall on contract talks.
The talented attacking midfielder is currently free to discuss a move to a foreign club in January. And one such club could be Barcelona.
The LaLiga giants have been tipped to snap up Chukwuemeka for a nominal fee and he could head to the Nou Camp once his Villa contract expires for a nominal compensation figure. It’s rumoured that fee would be less than £500,000.
Borussia Dortmund have also enquired about signing him. However, Sky Sports News states that the Bundesliga outfit have now cooled their interest.
For his part, Chukwuemeka was keen to talk to Dortmund – given how spells for Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham have gone in Germany.
Clubs lining up for Villa midfield starlet
Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and Leeds have also shown an interest in the player.
And the report adds that Villa would accept a bid of £20m, having become frustrated with the situation.
However, at this stage, Chukwuemeka is still part of manager Steven Gerrard’s plans for the upcoming season, that’s despite the Villa boss leaving him out of the pre-season trip to Australia.
He commented, before heading Down Under: “The best thing for him would be to continue his training regime back at Bodymoor (Heath training centre).”
Chukwuemeka really put himself in the shop window when he played a starring role for England’s Under-19s as they won last month’s Euros. Indeed, the Villa starlet scored in extra-time in the final against Israel.
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