Chelsea have raided Aston Villa to sign highly-rated midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka in a deal that could rise to £20million.
The Blues have pounced to land the England under-19 midfielder, who had attracted interest from clubs including Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.
Manager Steven Gerrard confirmed the 18 year-old was then left out of Villa’s pre-season tour due to his contract situation.
Chukwuemeka made 14 appearances last season but only three of them were starts.
Villa CEO Christian Purslow once described him as ‘probably the best 16 year-old in England’ and he starred for the Young Lions during the summer, helping them win the under-19 Euros and being named in the team of the tournament.
