"It's no surprise to see Arsenal in for this guy" - Journalist says Gunners and Newcastle United are interested in Aston Villa player

Arsenal and Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing promising Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka in the ongoing transfer window.

Chukwuemeka, who is in the final year of his current deal at Villa Park, shot to prominence last season with his performances at the heart of the midfield. During the 2021-22 campaign, he registered one assist in 14 appearances for the Villans.

Speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, journalist Graeme Bailey shed light on the future of the 18-year-old starlet. He said:

"Yeah, this is an interesting one. This is a guy who would slot into one of those roles very easily. He's one of England's best young midfielders, the problem is that he's not happy with what's going on at Aston Villa. He played around 18 games last year, but he's refusing to sign a new contract."

He continued:

"We are seeing Arsenal and Newcastle linked and they are both seeing this guy as someone who could potentially start for them. He's that good and he doesn't think he'll get that gametime at Aston Villa. He's only 18 but he's a super talent, so it's no surprise to see Arsenal in for this guy. He's a hugely exciting talent."

Chukwuemeka, who has been at Aston Villa since 2016, has played 28 matches for the club's U23 outfit, contributing three goals and five assists. For the club's U18 side, he has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists in 26 matches.

On the other hand, Barcelona are also keen to sign Chukwuemeka, as per acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Earlier last season, Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard expressed his hopes that Chukwuemeka will continue to ply his trade in Birmingham. He said (via Birmingham Mail):

"He's hopefully going to be a big player for Aston Villa. We want him to stay here long-term. We believe it's the right place for Carney and, again, myself and the staff have shown huge trust putting an 18-year-old in but we wouldn't do it if we didn't think he was ready, or have the ability not to cope."

Arsenal in hunt for midfielder this summer

Arsenal are currently in the market for a midfielder to bolster their squad ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The north London outfit are reportedly monitoring the situation of Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (via Gazzetta dello Sport), Leicester City's Youri Tielemans (via Fabrizio Romano) and Lille's Amadou Onana (via Ignazio Genuardi).

So far, the Gunners have completed the signings of striker Gabriel Jesus, midfielder Fabio Vieira, goalkeeper Matt Turner and attacker Marquinhos this summer.