Leeds United are reportedly in the hunt to sign Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. The young midfielder has been linked with a host of clubs including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, with the Whites the latest club reported to be interested.
Chukwuemeka was left out of Villa's squad for their pre-season tour of Australia - where they faced Leeds on Sunday. He has just entered the final year of his contract at Villa Park and has snubbed recent offers to extend his deal. It is understood that Chukwuemeka is valued at the £20 million mark.
With interest in the highly-rated midfielder heating up, here is everything you need to know about Chukwuemeka.
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Who is Carney Chukwuemeka?
Chukwuemeka is a young midfielder, capable of playing as a number eight, as a more advanced midfielder, or even as a striker. He joined the Aston Villa academy from Northampton Town in 2016 as a 12-year-old - going on to sign his first professional contract four years later.
Chukwuemeka impressed in the Villa academy. He was named Aston Villa academy player of the season at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, and he was part of the under-18s side that beat Liverpool 2-1 to clinch the FA Youth Cup in 2021. His older brother, Caleb, is also at Villa, but the striker only joined last year from Northampton Town.
The midfielder was born in Austria, but he has been capped by England from under-17s up to under-19s level. Chukwuemeka has made a name for himself over the last 12 months by regularly pushing him into the first-team picture at Aston Villa.
What has Carney Chukwuemeka done so far?
Chukwuemeka's biggest achievement of his career to date came just a few weeks ago, helping England under-19s win the European Championship. The 18-year-old was key to England's triumph, scoring in the final against Israel. He ended the tournament with an impressive three goals and two assists across five games, and Chukwuemeka captained Ian Foster's side in one of the group stage matches.
The midfielder has made 16 first-team appearances for Aston Villa. His Villa debut came towards the end of the 2020/21 season, where Chukwuemeka came on as a late substitute in a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He was a regular in Villa's matchday squads last season, although opportunities on the pitch were limited, playing just 294 minutes in the Premier League.
He is still waiting for his first Villa goal, but he did claim an assist in a 2-0 win at Norwich City last December.
What type of player is Carney Chukwuemeka?
Chukwuemeka is a talented central midfielder, with superb technical ability, which he expressed at the Under-19s European Championship in Slovakia this summer. He is confident on the ball, with the ability to pick out a defence-splitting pass and to turn away from a marker with ease.
He is also good in front of goal, and his record for England under-19s is impressive, with five goals scored in 11 appearances. However, while Chukwuemeka possesses exciting technical ability, he is also disciplined off the ball. Steven Gerrard praised his out-of-possession performance after Villa beat Norwich 2-0 in December.
"We wanted him to get around (Billy) Gilmour because he was getting more touches of the ball," said Gerrard. "He did a fantastic job out of possession and then rewarded himself with an assist."
What has been said about Carney Chukwuemeka?
Chukwuemeka is viewed as one of English football's brightest young prospects having led England to European glory. Despite the recent contract stand-off, Gerrard has praised Chukwuemeka in the past.
"We want him to sign (a new contract) and to extend and reward him for what we've seen so far," Gerrard said in March. "We've got big aspirations and a big road map for Carney."
Soccer Saturday pundit Paul Merson has also praised Chukwuemeka.
"I watched this kid make his debut and I thought he played really well on his debut," said Merson. "He's a nice player, an elegant player, he's tall, he moves well and gets up and down. He's a player you want to get on the ball."
Merson was particularly impressed by the composure Chukwuemeka showed when grabbing his assist against Norwich City.
"He gets his head up, and it's great from him to knock it across to where he should. A lot of youngsters probably panic and shoot near post in that situation and the goalkeeper parries it."
Former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie is also an admirer of Chukwuemeka, saying in August : “This boy is going to be the future. You talk about the Grealish’s of the world. This boy has got composure, silk, strong and I think they are looking more from him in that he adds goals to his game."
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