Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in a £20m deal in the summer of 2022, but has made just 27 appearances for the club, with injuries hampering his progression at Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old has looked good when he has played but there’s extraordinary competition for a starting spot under Enzo Maresca.
And he may well be tempted by a move to Barcelona, who are interested in the midfielder according to reports in Spain.
Chukwuemeka is under contract with Chelsea until 2028 and his deal with the Blues does reportedly include a release clause of £40m, which Barcelona would surely struggle to trigger.
But Chelsea may well accept a lower offer, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirming earlier this summer that the Blues would consider a permanent sale if the proposal was acceptable.
“Let me clarify that for Carney Chukwuemeka we have many rumours about many clubs, but what I can tell you is the message coming from Chelsea is very clear,” Romano said.
“You remember we had many messages on Levi Colwill joining Bayern. I always told you he is untouchable for Chelsea, not for sale. On Carney Chukwuemeka, the story is that Chelsea have no intention to let the player go on loan. This is the position of Chelsea.
“Then only permanent transfer in case they receive a good proposal. Otherwise, they are very happy to keep the player at the club, very satisfied with the player, his skills, his attitude, so Chelsea would be very happy to keep Carney.
“If they receive a very good proposal, the story could be different but has to be a permanent transfer.
“Chelsea at the moment are not keen on a loan move.”
Along with Barcelona, AC Milan have been sniffing around Chukwuemeka, although the Italian club was unsuccessful in their approach for the Chelsea star earlier this summer.
With the Blues looking to clear the decks ahead of the start of the new season, Raheem Sterling has emerged as a target for Juventus on the back of Pedro Neto’s £54m move to Stamford Bridge.
Gianluca Di Marzio wrote: ‘Sterling would become an incoming opportunity because Chelsea in his own role are buying another player, the Portuguese Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton: a situation that could lead the former Manchester City to leave Stamford Bridge to move elsewhere.
‘Certainly if Juve were to decide to bet on Sterling it would not have an easy life: there will certainly be a lot of competition and not only in the Premier League. In Italy, however, the Bianconeri are already inquiring to understand the conditions and feasibility of a possible operation.’
