Reports suggest that Arsenal are looking at Aston Villa teenager Carney Chukwuemeka as a potential midfield option. The Gunners are said to be very keen to secure the player’s services, but they will face tough competition from a number of European clubs.
Manager Mikel Arteta seems to be growing impatient as the Youri Tielemans transfer saga keeps dragging on and on. A potential deal between the club and player is being reported by several sources for a couple of months now but the transfer is still not close to happening.
The 18-year-old made his senior debut for Aston Villa in May 2021 and has made 14 appearances for the club so far (stats via transfermarkt). The young Englishman has continued to impress while playing for Steven Gerrard’s side and has attracted interest from various clubs, which is no surprise.
In a bid to find a central midfielder while keeping their youth philosophy alive, the Spanish manager is contemplating bringing the Englishman to the Emirates Stadium this summer. The youngster is highly rated at Villa but his contract has entered its final year, meaning the midfielder will be available at a cut-price fee.
According to 90min, Arsenal have joined the race to sign Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka this summer. The report states that the Emirates may soon become the youngster’s eventual destination.
As reported by The Athletic, contract negotiations between Villa and the player have been ongoing since October but it is moving painfully slow, suggesting that there’s a high chance of the 18-year-old wanting a move away from Villa Park soon.
Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa's young youngster Carney Chukwuemeka but face competition from other top English sides.
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The Villans would want to have the English youngster in their ranks as the new season approaches. However, the player hasn’t travelled with his team to Australia for their pre-season tour, solidifying whatever pessimistic doubts the Villa fans may have in their minds. Predictably, several clubs have been alerted of the situation and one of those clubs happens to be Arsenal.
After completing a slew of signings, the Gunners have been hunting for a reliable central midfielder. The North London side have recently revived their interest in the long-time target, Youri Tielemans, as reported by ArseDevils. However, no progress has been made. So it is understandable why Edu and co. would look to diversify their search options.
England international, Carney Chukwuemeka was integral to the team in the U-19 Euro championship, having scored twice in England’s 3-1 win over Israel. A host of clubs including Barcelona, Newcastle United, and the Manchester duos are keeping tabs on the midfielder’s future. Unless he signs a new deal, Villa are only owed £250,000 for training him and this may prompt them to act quickly and find a suitor who will be willing to pay the club’s asking price.
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Mikel Arteta has been able to deliver good results last season with a squad full of young talents. It looks like he knows how to make the youngsters perform. So it is understandable why Arsenal might be interested in Carney Chukwuemeka.
And from a point of view that concerns the Gunners’ philosophy in recent times, signing a promising teenager at a reasonable price and training them to help them grow into a reliable professional is exactly the sort of thing one might expect from Arteta.
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