Chelsea have beaten other European giants in the race to Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka, the Blues announced on Tuesday.
Chelsea will pay a reported fee of £20 million (€23.9m / $24.2m) to sign the 18-year-old England youth international, with £15 million up front and a potential £5 million worth of add-ons.
Chukwuemeka, who was ranked as one of the game's top 50 wonderkids on GOAL's 2022 NXGN list, starred for England at the Under-19 Euros, earning a spot in the Team of the Tournament after helping his country lift the trophy with a win over Israel in the final.
He was also reportedly chased by Barcelona and AC Milan, with the Spanish side reportedly had the early edge, but prioritized other senior signings including that of Robert Lewandowski. Arsenal also reportedly had conversations about the young midfielder.
MORE: Latest Chelsea summer transfer news ahead of 2022/23 Premier League season
What have Chelsea said about the deal?
Chelsea announced the deal in a statement, saying: "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."
According to ESPN, the medical will take place Wednesday. He had just one year remaining on his Aston Villa contract and reportedly rejected a number of contract offers to extend his deal.
Aston Villa and Chelsea can confirm that the clubs have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 2, 2022
The 18-year-old has been given permission to travel to London to discuss both personal terms and undergo a medical.
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Who is Carney Chukwuemeka?
The 18-year-old originally joined the Aston Villa academy from Northampton Town in March 2016, signing his first professional contract four years later.
In March 2020, Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow claimed that the club had “the best 16-year-old in England” as he drew comparisons to Paul Pogba and Dele Alli.
The midfielder made his senior debut in May 2021 in a 2-1 win against Tottenham and was named Villa's Academy Player of the Season for the 2020-21 campaign.
He went on to make his first senior start in August 2021, going on to make a total of 13 appearances for Villa during the 2020-21 season.
Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all previously considered signing the 18-year-old, while Barca and AC Milan reportedly battled Chelsea in the race to his signature this summer.
Premier League 2022/23 TV channels, live streams
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV channel | Sky Sports, BT Sport | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | — | — |
| Streaming | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime | fuboTV, Peacock | fuboTV | Optus Sport |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and BT Sport streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on fuboTV. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game streams live and on demand exclusively via fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream matches live and on demand on Optus Sport.
