Welcome to Chelsea, Carney Chukwuemeka. The England U19 and Aston Villa midfielder is set to become the Blues’ fourth summer signing after the arrivals of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and Gaga Slonina from Chicago Fire.
It took awhile for new owner Todd Boehly and company to get going this summer transfer window, but they are making up for that late start now, by getting very busy closing some deals! Defender Marc Cucurella, of Brighton, should/could be next, while Slonina was announced just last night.
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Aston Villa to sign Carney Chukwuemeka ? pic.twitter.com/ggXJWgceCs
— GOAL (@goal) August 2, 2022
The club statement reads: “Aston Villa and Chelsea can confirm that the clubs have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka. The 18-year-old has been given permission to travel to London to discuss both personal terms and undergo a medical.”
That medical is expected to take place today, so the official unveiling could come by tomorrow. The deal is for £15 million, initially, but could reach £20 million in add-ons. Chukwuemeka only had one year remaining on his Villa deal, with Steven Gerrard’s club having extended him multiple offers to renew it. Chukwuemeka turned them all down.
The teenager also drew interest from several other clubs all across Europe, including the likes of FC Barcelona and AC Milan.
Chelsea FC 2022 Summer Transfer Window Summary
Incomings
Raheem Sterling – Manchester City, $56.3m
Kalidou Koulibaly – Napoli, $39.1m
Gaga Slonina – Chicago Fire $10m (story we scooped 2 weeks ago)
Outgoings
Romelu Lukaku – Inter Milan (loan, and $8.1m loan fee)
Antonio Rudiger – Real Madrid (free)
Andreas Christensen – Barcelona (contract expiration)
Danny Drinkwater (contract expiration)
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.