Chelsea have beaten Barcelona and AC Milan in the race to Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka, the Blues announced on Tuesday.
Chelsea will pay a reported fee of £20 million to sign the 18-year-old England youth international.
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.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 2, 2022
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.
Born in Austria to Nigerian parents, Chukwuemeka was left out of Villa’s pre-season tour to Australia after refusing to sign a new contract, which expires next summer.
The midfielder, 18, who starred for England in their Under-19 European Championship triumph last month, made 12 English Premier League appearances for Villa last term.
He would become Chelsea’s third signing of the summer.
La Liga giants Barcelona, Serie A champions AC Milan and Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund were all linked with Chukwuemeka.
