Arsenal transfer target Carney Chukwuemeka has been left out of Aston Villa's pre-season tour squad with reports linking him with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Chukwuemeka has less than 12 months remaining on his current deal with Villa and is attracting interest from elite teams across Europe including Arsenal and Barcelona. 90min have reported that the Gunners have joined the race to sign the talented midfielder, who scored in the final of the Under-19 European Championships, helping England beat Israel and lift the trophy.
Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Youri Tielemans, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Lucas Paqueta as Mikel Arteta and Edu looks to strengthen the midfield area. Villa boss Steven Gerrard has left the talented 18-year-old out of Villa's pre-season squad to continue his training at Bodymoor Heath, as BirminghamLive reported.
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Chukwuemeka made a total of 12 Premier League appearances last season after breaking into the Villa first team under Gerrard, standing out with some impressive performances. The Daily Mail previously reported that Borussia Dortmund see the teenager as the 'next Jude Bellingham' given the key similarities between the two England talents, in terms of their playstyles.
The 18-year-old can play as a no.8 and no.10 making him a versatile option with plenty of room for development with Arteta searching for a player to rival Granit Xhaka in the Gunners' squad. Chukwuemeka has scored 13 goals and provided a further 13 assists in 54 outings for Villa's U23 and U18 sides and looks set to leave the club this summer after stalling a renewal with the Villans.
Villa boss Steven Gerrard is keen to tie Chukwuemeka down to a new contract at Villa Park. “Hopefully he is going to be a big player for Aston Villa,” Gerrard said when asked about the 18-year-old's future with the club. “We want him to stay here long-term. We believe this is the best place for Carney. I hope that situation progresses in a positive way.”
However, there is still no agreement in place between the player and club, with Chukwuemeka now being left out of the Villa pre-season squad for the club's tour of Australia. "Carney is yet to sign a contract offer that has been in place for some time now," Gerrard told Villa TV. "I’ve decided the best thing for him would be to continue his training programme back at Bodymoor."
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