Barcelona have join Borussia Dortmund in pursuit of Carney Chukwuemkeka.’
Aston Villa are willing to sell the 18-year-old midfielder for ‘£20 million’ after talks over a new contract broke down due to his frustration at a lack of game time.
Chukwuemkeka has showed excellent promise in recent months, playing 13 times for Villa last season and winning the U19 Euros with England. He scored in the final and was named in the team of the tournament.
According to reports in Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have expressed interest in signing the young midfielder, although he is ‘not a priority’ yet as the Catalan giants still hope to bring in Robert Lewandowski.
The Sun also reported that Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal have enquired about Chukwuemkeka, and that Villa value him at ‘£20m’.
It is something of a surprise to hear Barcelona are pursuing another signing given the financial struggles the club is facing.
The Athletic claims they have debts of ‘£1b’ and that some players are owed large sums of wages due to controls placed on the club’s spending.
Despite this they have already bought in Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Andreas Christensen and are in talks with Lewandowski and Cesar Azpilicueta.
As much as Chukwuemkeka is a promising young player, Barcelona may come to regret their disregard of financial consequences if they continue to spend money they do not have.