Carney Chukwuemeka has been officially signed by Chelsea from Aston Villa for an undisclosed sum.
The Under-19 European Championship-winning England team of 18-year-old midfielder, who was a member of that squad, transfers to Stamford Bridge after opting not to extend his Villa contract, which was set to expire next summer.
Chukwuemeka decided to accept a six-year contract from Chelsea after being excluded from Villa’s preseason tour of Australia due to his refusal to do so.
He had a contract with Villa through the conclusion of the 2022–23 season and made 12 appearances for them last season.
The midfielder had been practicing with the under-23s when Villa manager Steven Gerrard decided not to include him on the team’s preseason trip of Australia. According to reports, Gerrard set the player’s price at £20 million.
In May 2021, Chukwuemeka, who will be 19 in October, made his first-team debut. He made 14 appearances last season, but only two of them were Premier League starts.
Raheem Sterling, an English forward, was acquired by Chelsea from Manchester City for £50 million this summer, along with Kalidou Koulibaly, a Senegalese defender, from Napoli for £34 million.
Gabriel Slonina, an American goalkeeper who is 18 years old, was also acquired by Chelsea for a reported £12 million from Chicago Fire. He will stay with them on loan through the end of the Major League Soccer season.
