Leeds looking at Villa midfielder

According to LeedsLive and announced on the Twitter account of LeedsUnitedFans, Leeds United have joined teams such as Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund in the list of admirers for Aston Villa and England youngster Carney Chukwuemeka.

He has just entered the final year of his contract at Villa Park and reports that he has refused a new contract with the Midlands club, has put potential suitors on alert. Chukwuemeka was left out of Villa’s squad for their pre-season tour of Australia, ironically having beaten Leeds 1-0 in a friendly on Sunday thanks to a Danny Ings penalty.

The central midfielder is valued at £5.4m according to Transfermarkt and could be a great addition to Jesse Marsch’s youthful looking midfield. He is very versatile and is capable of playing as a number eight, as a more advanced midfielder, or even as a striker.

Chukwuemeka is thought of highly at Aston Villa and was named academy 2020/21 player of the season, he was also part of the under-18s side that beat Liverpool to clinch the FA Youth Cup in 2021. He was an integral part of the England team that won the U19’s European Championship, scoring in the final against Israel. He ended the tournament with three goals and 2 assists. He has made 16 senior appearances for Villa, earning his Premier League debut in a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard said “We want him to sign (a new contract) and to extend and reward him for what we’ve seen so far, we’ve got big aspirations and a big road map for Carney.”

Former Villa legend and pundit Paul Merson has said “I watched this kid make his debut and I thought he played really well, he’s a nice player, an elegant player, he’s tall, he moves well and gets up and down. He’s a player you want to get on the ball.” 

On his assist against Norwich in the Premier League, Merson said “He gets his head up, and it’s great from him to knock it across to where he should. A lot of youngsters probably panic and shoot near post in that situation and the goalkeeper parries it.”

It’s clear to see the youngster has a bright future ahead of him, and where that will be is still undecided. Leeds will be hoping they can lure him to Elland Road like they did with West Ham forward Sonny Perkins earlier in the week.

Would Leeds fans be happy with another young prospect joining the club or would they rather Leeds spent their time securing proven, experienced players? Let us know in the comments.

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