Arsenal transfer target left out of pre-season squad
Carney Chukwuemeka moved to Villa Park from Northampton Town’s academy in 2016 and has established himself as one of English football’s best young players in recent years.
The Athletics reported that Carney ChukwuEmeka have been left out of Aston Villa pre-season tour to Australia.
The 18-year-old was a key part of the England squad that recently won the European Under-19 Championship after scoring twice in the final in which the Three Lions beat Israel.
Chukwuemeka joined Villa’s first team in 2021 and made 13 appearances last season. However, he has only had two starts in the Premier League, with most of his playing time coming off the bench.
Chukwuemeka Renewal issues
The player is in the final year of his contract and has turned down several offers from Aston Villa to sign an extension.
Chukwuemeka wants to be assured of a first-team opportunity under Steven Gerrard before committing his future, As Villa struggled to convince the midfielder that his development was best served at Villa Park.
The Athletic said Chukwuemeka has been dropped from a pre-season tour of Australia, and several clubs Europe’s leading is monitoring the situation.
According to 90min, Arsenal are one of the latest clubs to express an interest with the Gunners preparing to enter a bid to sign Chukwuemeka if he is available this summer.
Unless he signs a new contract, Chukwuemeka will leave when his contract expires next summer for nothing and Villa will have to pay around £250,000 in training compensation.
According to the report,Aston Villa may decide to cash out now as they can claim a hefty fee with 90 Minutes reporter Graeme Bailey suggesting the Midlands club will demand around £40m.
The likes of Arsenal are highly unlikely to pay that amount for an 18-year-old with less than a year left on his contract, but Bailey says the Gunners could pay around £20-25m due to his immense talent.
However, Arsenal will face competition from Newcastle, 90min said Manchester City, Manchester United, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Juventus are also actively interested.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but it looks like Arsenal are on the hunt for Chukwuemeka and it would be a huge gain if they can lure him to North London in the race for his signature.