Borussia Dortmund to open talks with Chelsea FC over Carney Chukwuemeka | OneFootball

Carney Chukwuemeka arrived in Dortmund at the end of the January transfer window. His short time at BVB has been mired by injury, but in the back half of this Rückrunde, the Englishman has found an important place within Niko Kovač’s ranks. As his fitness has improved, his minutes have increased, and his technical ability has been showcased.

Carney Chukwuemeka scored his first goal for Dortmund at the beginning of the month against Freiburg, and he was involved in each of BVB’s three goals against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend. Now, Fabrizio Romano reports Dortmund are keen to keep the English talent beyond his six-month loan.

Now, Borussia Dortmund will formally open talks with Chelsea FC for the 21-year-old’s signature. Many questions still loom surrounding this deal. We previously reported that Chukwuemeka’s buy option is in the ballpark of 30 million euros, which is a hefty sum. It’s also been rumored that Chukwuemeka’s buy-option is dependent on Dortmund’s qualifying for European football, though it’s unclear how strict this contingency is. Dortmund currently sit one place outside of European qualification, but a recent upturn in form has fans optimistic of an end-of-season push into the Champions or Europa League.

Thirty million is a large sum of money to spend on one player, but Carney Chukwuemeka has shown how technically gifted he is, and his young age could speak to his potential in filling the number ten role in the coming seasons. The biggest concerns with this deal would surround Chukwuemeka’s fitness, as he has struggled at times under Kovač, having made just a single league start.

Thirty million is also a large bet on a player who has accumulated less than 300 minutes in all competitions for Dortmund. There is no denying Chukwuemeka is talented, but we’ve only seen a small sample of matches. Only time will tell what kind of deal Sebastian Kehl is cooking.