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Journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that "Aston Villa" midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka received serious interest from "Barcelona" this summer. Chukwuemeka was one of the leaders in the "Villa" team that won the FA Youth Cup in the 2020-2021 season. Last season, the team's coach Steven Gerrard gave the youngster more opportunities to shine, and the Englishman provided 1 assist in 12 matches in the local championship. This summer, Carney shone even brighter, being a key figure in the England U-19 national team, which won the European U-19 Championship. However, the midfielder has only one year left on his contract and "Barca" is looking to take advantage of this opportunity. Back in March, "Aston Villa" coach Gerard doubted the future of the youngster in the team: "As far as I know, negotiations for a new contract have not progressed. We did everything we could from our side and I don't know what the situation is currently." A few months after those words, Gerard spoke again about Chukwuemeka, hoping that the Englishman would sign a proposed contract: "We hope he will be a great 'Aston Villa' player. We want him to stay here for a long time." "We believe this is the right place for Carney. Both I and the other staff have shown great confidence in the 18-year-old boy, but we wouldn't do that if we thought he wasn't ready."
