Barcelona have a ‘serious interest’ in Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka

Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa’s young midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

Guardian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed in a post on Twitter that the Catalan club have a strong interest in the 18-year-old.

He wrote: “Barcelona have serious interest in English talent Carney Chukwuemeka, he’s appreciated as player with huge potential. The player is in the final year of his contract with Aston Villa and would be available for FIFA training compensation in January.”

Chukwuemeka made his first senior start for Villa in 2021 in a 1–1 draw against Brentford, a performance Paul Merson hailed as “outstanding”, adding “he will be an absolute star”.

He also featured in every game of the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals for England last month (June). The youngster had an impressive tournament, scoring the second goal in England’s 3–1 extra time victory over Israel in the final.

What’s Gerrard said about Chukwuemeka’s future?

The Villa boss has gone on record multiple times stating his desire to keep him at the club.

Speaking in January, Gerrard said: “We want him to sign and to extend and reward him for what we’ve seen so far.

“We’ve got big aspirations and a big road map for Carney but, in terms of answering your question, there’s only one person who can answer and that’s Carney.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and keep the conversation going.