Borussia Dortmund have agreed a deal to take Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka on loan for the rest of the season.
Dortmund will cover Chukwuemeka’s salary as part of the deal. The 21-year-old will arrive in Germany tonight (Sunday) and is expected to undergo a medical tomorrow.
The Athletic reported on Saturday that Dortmund had stepped up their interest in Chukwuemeka, having first made their interest known at the beginning of the transfer window but paused their pursuit as they sacked Nuri Sahin as head coach and then replaced him with Niko Kovac, who has approved the move. Further talks have been held in the past 24 hours after Chelsea rejected an initial proposal on Saturday.
Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club which is also controlled by Chelsea owners BluCo, were another possible destination for Chukwuemeka after they freed up a third loan spot from the west London club after Caleb Wiley’s temporary deal was cancelled earlier this month.
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The Athletic reported on January 14 that Chelsea were prepared to loan Chukwuemeka to Dortmund, albeit under the proviso that strict playing and economic conditions are agreed to.
That came after Dortmund registered an interest in a deal for the midfielder this month with Chelsea looking for a £40million ($48.7m) release clause to be met if other clubs wanted to sign the Englishman.
Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 for a £20million ($25m) fee. He made 15 appearances during his first season but a knee injury that required surgery limited him to only 12 games the following campaign.
Chukwuemeka whose contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2028, has not featured in the Premier League this season and has started just once across all competitions — in Chelsea’s Conference League victory at Astana in December.
He is yet to receive a senior international cap though he has made appearances for England through the under-17 to under-20 level.
Additional reporting: Seb Stafford-Bloor
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