After signing Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay this summer, Liverpool’s incoming transfer business is believed to be done. As a result, plans to revamp the Reds’ midfield remain on hold until 2023.
Such a decision has been criticised in some sections, though it has also prompted speculation regarding a potential move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. With the England international known to be of interest to Liverpool and the Bundesliga outfit having no desire to sell before next summer, it’s easy to make assumptions.
However, the 19-year-old isn’t the only midfielder believed to be on the Reds’ radar, with Goal reporting last month that Aston Villa’s Carney Chukwuemeka is highly thought of at Anfield. Enjoying a breakthrough campaign last year as he made 11 Premier League appearances, the 18-year-old has plenty of potential suitors with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund also said to be monitoring his situation.
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Also linked with Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the past, the midfielder captained England Under-19s to European Championships glory earlier this summer, scoring in the final and earning a place in UEFA's Team of the Tournament as a result to enhance his reputation further. Out of contract at Villa Park next summer, he has so far rejected offers of a new deal and faces an uncertain future as a result.
Villa want to retain the midfielder’s services but head coach Steven Gerrard subsequently took the decision to leave Chukwuemeka out of the Villans’ squad for their pre-season tour of Australia due to such uncertainty.
"Carney is yet to sign a contract offer that has been in place for some time now,” Gerrard told Villa TV last week. “I’ve decided the best thing for him would be to continue his training programme back at Bodymoor."
BirminghamLive has reported the decision was made with Villa believing it remained in the best interests of both the club and player for the teenager not to travel Down Under given his uncertain future, though contract discussions with Villa are believed to still be ongoing.
However, should Villa concede defeat in their efforts to retain Chukwuemeka, they face a difficult dilemma regarding the midfielder’s future. After all, he would be free to discuss a pre-contract agreement with overseas clubs from January, with the likes of Dortmund and Barcelona only required to pay a minimal 'training compensation fee' in the region of £250-£300k if they were to sign him on a Bosman transfer.
As a result, it would be in Villa’s interests for Chukwuemeka to join a domestic rival should he see out his contract, with them entitled to significantly more compensation as a result, or to just sell the midfielder this summer, with the Daily Mail claiming they would demand £20m.
In turn, such a stance could see Liverpool forced to act if club bosses have decided the 18-year-old is the player they want to enhance Jurgen Klopp ’s midfield. Interest in the highly-rated star makes sense and would be in line with the Reds’ recent moves for the likes of Carvalho and Ramsay, as they look to snap up elite talent at a young age while also bolstering their homegrown quota in the process.
Should they want Chukwuemeka, he would already count as homegrown, while a transfer this summer would even see him qualify as ‘club-trained’ for UEFA competition. However, considering Carvalho and Ramsay only cost an initial £5m and £4m respectively, if Villa indeed demand £20m for the midfielder, it would perhaps be a surprise to see Liverpool enter the race for his signature at such a fee.
Therefore, if the Reds are to move for the midfielder, it is unlikely to be until next summer with Liverpool sticking to their 2023 stance as a result. But while Villa would ultimately favour losing him to a domestic rival should Chukwuemeka leave at the end of the contract, as it would entail greater compensation, it would also ensure a greater fight for his signature.
The Reds recently navigated such a process with Fulham to sign Carvalho, attempting to agree a cut-price deal back in January before later agreeing on a compensation package worth up to £7.7m after running out of time to conclude a mid-season transfer. But they were not vying with the likes of Barcelona, PSG and Borussia Dortmund on such an occasion.
Looking at Liverpool’s current midfield options, a revamp of their engine room is likely to require more than one new arrival, given ageing stars and expiring contracts, and the Reds can afford to wait until 2023 as a result. Chukwuemeka being available for £20m is unlikely to change that.
If he remains at Villa Park beyond the summer, Villa could indeed favour him moving to Anfield should he still push to move on. But while it remains to be seen if Liverpool will follow through on initial admiration, playing the waiting game is a gamble.
It paid off for the Reds when it came to Carvalho, but with regards to Chukwuemeka, they won’t be the only ones monitoring his situation with great interest in the months ahead. And with interested overseas clubs enjoying the liberty of minimal training compensation and pre-contract agreement discussions from January, Liverpool are already a step behind and will have to be shrewd if they are to beat the competition to the midfielder’s signature.
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