AC Milan were big admirers of Carney Chukwuemeka and even submitted an official bid before Chelsea swooped in and signed him, a report claims.
The Athletic reported on July 22 Chukwuemeka was being chased by both Milan and Barca, while Villa have tried and failed to extend the contract of the 18-year-old attacking midfielder since October.
Chelsea announced on Twitter that they and Aston Villa reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Chukwuemeka with the 18-year-old travelling to London to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical, and then he was officially unveiled as a new signing on a six-year deal.
As Fabrizio Romano has reported on his YouTube channel, Chukwuemeka opted to join Chelsea after direct talks with new owner Todd Boehly and their head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The signing of other young players such as Omari Hutchinson, Cesare Casadei, Gabriel Slonina, Tyler Dibling and Zak Sturge proved to Chukwuemeka that the Blues are willing to invest in youth and back their talent.
Milan submitted an offer to Aston Villa worth £5m plus an additional £10m in performance-related add-ons, thus totalling just shy of €18m. However, despite the Rossoneri offering the player a chance to be part of the first team immediately, he preferred a move to the capital in a £20m deal.
