Barça's move for Chukwuemeka hits roadblock, due to his exorbitant price tag

Young Carney Chukwuemeka finds himself in raging demand, with one of the longest lists of suitors vying for his transfer. The midfielder is entering his final year at Aston Villa, with his contract expiring in June 2023. The English club are asking €23 million for the 18-year-old talent, while his market value stands at merely €6 million. The figure is much higher than anticipated, more so since the player appears to be a surplus for Steven Gerrard's team.

The Villains are interested in cashing in this window rather than letting him go for free next summer. Barça were well positioned to add Chukwuemeka to their ranks until two days ago; however, The Sun has reported that Newcastle United have pipped the Spanish club in the race and is first in line to sign the Austrian player. FC Barcelona are unlikely to be interested in signing him at such a high cost, though it seems that other suitors such as PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool are still keen on signing him.

According to the Daily Mirror, the latest team to enter the bidding for the player is Liverpool, coached by Jurgen Klopp. Similar to their signing of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, this transfer interest indicates that the Reds are attracted by the idea of adding young players to the squad, to secure the future of the team. Chukwuemeka will turn 19 in October and is considered to be one of the most promising young players in soccer.

To date, he has made 12 first-team appearances for the Villains. He has also captained England at the Under-19 level and was in the UEFA Team of the Tournament at the recent UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Slovakia. Throughout his short soccer career, he has played a total of 969 minutes in which he has scored two goals and provided three assists.