AC Milan have been linked with moves for a number of different midfielders since the start of the summer window and one of the names that has never gone away is Carney Chukwuemeka.
La Gazzetta dello Sport are among the sources to recently report that Chukwuemeka wasn’t just a target ahead of the season though, and that he in fact remains on the radar in view of the January transfer window. But what are the chances of a Chukwuemeka transfer to AC Milan?
Long-standing interest
The Athletic reported back in July 2022 that Chukwuemeka was being chased by both Milan and Barcelone, while the midfielder was with Aston Villa who had tried and failed to extend the contract of the then-18-year-old.
He is a product of Villa’s Bodymoor Heath academy and won the U19 European Championship with England that summer, with the particular attraction being that he had just a year left on his deal at the time, making him available in a cut-price deal.
However, in the end Chukwuemeka decided to join Chelsea in a deal worth a reported €24m, which is well above what the Rossoneri management were willing to pay.
Links continue
Matteo Moretto stated just after the window shut that the Milan directors were looking for a solution for Ismaël Bennacer late in the summer window, believing that offers would arrive for the Algerian midfielder that they would have gladly evaluated.
To shorten the story, if Bennacer had left on a permanent basis and a few hours before the window closed, Milan would have made a concrete attempt for the former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone, who ended up joining Roma instead.
However, if Bennacer had left even closer to the deadline, then Geoffrey Moncada and co. would have made a last minute attempt for Chelsea’s Chukwuemeka. The Englishman is not part of Enzo Maresca’s plans, and was looking for a new experience.
What does the future hold?
Milan’s midfield situation is still a mystery, Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana are the established starters in the double pivot with Ruben Loftus-Cheek seemingly only trusted in a more advanced role, then Yunus Musah and Kevin Zeroli (of Milan Futuro) more on the fringes.
Thus, a new reinforcement could arrive as early as January. It seems Samuele Ricci of Torino is the dream but getting him at all seems unrealistic, let alone mid-season, which is why Chukwuemeka’s name remains in fashion.
Given that he is one of those players Moncada has followed for a long time, and that there is a great relationship between Milan and Chelsea – as the Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek deals show – a January loan attempt seems likely.
