Chelsea have reached an agreement with Aston Villa for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka.
The Blues will pay Villa £20m for the 18-year-old, who has been given permission to travel to London to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical, reports Sky Sports.
The youngster had just one year remaining on his deal with Aston Villa and rejected the Birmingham club’s last contract offer, which played a part in the midfielder being left out of Steven Gerrard’s squad for the club’s pre-season Australia tour this summer.
Chukwuemeka made 12 Premier League appearances last season but only started twice and it is understood that the midfielder is keen to get more top-flight game time, states Sky Sports, but how that works out at Chelsea is unknown.
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.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 2, 2022
One club that was also interested in Chukwuemeka was Barcelona. The La Liga giants followed the 18-year-old for several months reported Mundo Deportivo, with the midfielder being described as a player with a lot of potential, and Barca boss Xavi is said to have given the go-ahead to sign him if it is possible for the club to do so.
According to 90min, Manchester United and Arsenal were also among a host of other clubs interested in signing Chukwuemeka, but it is Chelsea who have secured the highly rated youngster’s signature.
Chelsea hardly ‘beat’ any of Europe’s biggest clubs. Those on the continent weren’t prepared to pay 20 million for an 18 year old who had only started two premier league games. They could negotiate with him for free after January 1, 2023. Premier League clubs couldn’t touch him until July 2023, so if they wanted him, they had to pay up before the end of the year.