Austria has reportedly approached Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka to represent their national team instead of Nigeria or England, where he has played for the youth teams, Soccernet.ng understands.
The 19-year-old, born to Nigerian parents in Austria before moving to England, has been offered the opportunity to switch his international allegiance, according to G3 Football.
Chukwuemeka has made 12 appearances for Chelsea this season but has yet to score and has only played less than four hours of Premier League football.
Despite that, he has already made his debut for England’s U20s and has featured six times for Ian Foster’s side.
Ralf Rangnick, the manager of Austria’s national team, is interested in developing young talents and believes that Chukwuemeka could make an immediate impact. Austria are trying to steal a march on Nigeria and England for the promising midfielder’s services.
Chukwuemeka’s potential switch to Austria could come as a blow to Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, who had previously shown interest in the youngster. The team had hoped to convince him to switch allegiance to Nigeria, but Austria’s interest could complicate matters.
The former Aston Villa talent joined Chelsea as a promising youngster in the summer and is highly regarded by the club.
The teenager has been tipped for a bright future in the game and last year he guided England to win the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, being named in the Team of the Tournament.
Chukwuemeka’s decision on his international future is yet to be confirmed, but it will be interesting to see which country he chooses to represent in the coming years.
