Nigeria-eligible Chelsea midfielder closes in on Borussia Dortmund move following Maresca’s statement

Nigeria-eligible Chelsea midfielder, Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka, is nearing a move to Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder is yet to play a single minute for the Blues in the English Premier League this season after garnering 23 appearances in the previous two seasons.

Chukwuemeka has featured for the Chelsea first team in the UEFA Conference League and the Carabao Cup, starting just one game, and accruing 130 minutes of playing time on all fronts across all competitions.

Due to the drastic reduction in his playing time, the former Aston Villa starlet is keen on seeking first-team action elsewhere.

As per Sky Sports, 2024 UEFA Champions League finalists, Borussia Dortmund have opened talks with Chelsea over loan deals for both Carney Chukwuemeka and Renato Veiga.

Chelsea v FC Noah Europa Conference League 07/11/2024. Carney Chukwuemeka of Chelsea during the Europa Conference League match between Chelsea and FC Noah at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 7 November 2024. London Stamford Bridge Greater London England Editorial use only , Copyright: xPaulxPhelanx PSI-20777-0085. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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Nuri Sahin’s side have nearly finalized Donyell Malen’s exit to Aston Villa. The deal is worth an initial fee of €23m, plus €3m add-ons fee. The Yellow and Blacks are now looking for loan deals that’ll include the option to buy Chelsea’s duo of Chukwuemeka and Veiga, but that would be out of question in this month’s transfer window.

Veiga has agreed a deal in principle with the one-time UEFA Champions League Champions while it is understood Chelsea are asking for around £30m (€35m) to £33.5m (€40m) for Chukwuemeka.

Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, has given his go-ahead to the young duo who are hungry for more first-team action.

“We don’t need a player to go out. Simply because they are players who want to play more, there is a chance for them to leave,” the former Leicester City head coach said in quotes revealed by Sky Sports UK.

Should Chukwuemeka head to the Signal Iduna Park, he’d be joining another player with Nigerian roots in Karim Adeyemi.

The attacking-minded midfielder was born in Austria to Nigerian parents. Although he’s yet to make a claim towards the Super Eagles, he’s represented England at youth level.

 

This post was last modified on January 13, 2025 7:20 pm

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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