Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea shock Liverpool, Newcastle by winning race for Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka, as transfer fee revealed

Carney Chukwuemeka, Israel v England July 2022

Chelsea are on the verge of signing impressive Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, in a transfer which will leave Liverpool and Newcastle disappointed.

Chuckwuemeka is a product of the Aston Villa academy and is regarded as one of the best 18-year-olds in the country. He has made 16 appearances in the Villans’ senior team, registering one assist but no goals.

The England U19 international is in the final 12 months of his Villa contract. And he is unwilling to renew, leaving Steven Gerrard and Villa officials frustrated.

Plenty of big teams have been keeping tabs on the situation. They include Liverpool, Newcastle, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.

But those clubs have lost out as Chukwuemeka is set to join Chelsea. On Tuesday, the Blues released the following statement: ‘Aston Villa and Chelsea can confirm that the clubs have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka.

‘The 18-year-old has been given permission to travel to London to discuss both personal terms and undergo a medical.’

Fabrizio Romano provides more details on the move. He states Chukwuemeka will cost Chelsea an initial £15million, while other outlets claim add-ons could take the deal to £20m.

The English starlet will pen a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge, lasting until June 2028.

Carney Chukwuemeka medical planned

Romano also gives a timeline of how the transfer will go through. Chukwuemeka will travel to London tonight (Tuesday) and will undergo a Chelsea medical on Wednesday.

He will then sign his new deal and be unveiled as Chelsea’s third senior signing of the current transfer window. They have already brought in Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.

Romano ends his tweet by calling the announcement a ‘big surprise’. This is because clubs such as Liverpool, Newcastle and PSG were hoping to sign him, but instead it is Chelsea who have won the race.

This is despite them never really being mentioned as a potential suitor previously.

While Chukwuemeka might not go straight into Thomas Tuchel’s starting eleven, he is a great option for the future.

He is gaining experience with England U19s and will surely become a member of the senior Three Lions squad at some point, as long as his exciting development continues.

N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, two of Tuchel’s current midfield options, are the wrong side of 30. This is one of the reasons why Chelsea have gone for Chukwuemeka. Having him and Conor Gallagher in the squad will help to freshen things up.

Villa fans will be sad to see the teenager go. But the West Midlands club have done well to get around £20m for him considering he will become a free agent next summer.

Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero thinks City made a mistake in letting Sterling go to Premier League rivals Chelsea.