Aston Villa have reportedly set a £20m price-tag for Carney Chukwuemeka, with the club now open to selling him this summer.
The 18-year-old has been left out of our pre-season tour of Australia this week, with boss Steven Gerrard confirming that his decision was down to the fact that Chukwuemeka has yet to sign a contract extension.
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With his current contract set to expire next summer, there is a great deal of uncertainty over his future at Villa, and ultimately if he is considering options elsewhere and won’t be part of our long-term plan, then it makes sense to move him on and look to promote a replacement instead.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa are now open to selling Chukwuemeka this summer, and it’s added that we’ve set a £20m valuation for the talented youngster as we look to cash in and avoid losing him for almost nothing next year, with Barcelona said to be leading a whole host of top teams around in Europe in showing interest.
Villa’s stance on this situation has arguably been spot on in the last few months. While Gerrard has given Chukwuemeka opportunities at senior level, a contract offer has been on the table for him to consider for some time now.
However, if he still doesn’t wish to sign off on new terms, then Gerrard is right to decide to keep him out of the squad, and it’s hoped that the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Morgan Sanson get more opportunities instead.
Villa have given Chukwuemeka the platform and steady progression that’s needed at this stage of his young career, if he feels he could be better developed elsewhere, then so be it. We must move him on as quickly as possible to maximise the fee paid and also keep him away from being a distraction for his teammates.
Time will tell though if that £20m price-tag is too steep and needs to be lowered, as ultimately teams like Barcelona who are said to be interested can merely just wait until next summer where they could sign Chukwuemeka for a smaller training fee due as compensation to us.