Chelsea transfer news: Carney Chukwuemeka future update as Borussia Dortmund director confirms talks

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has confirmed that his side are keen to keep Chelsea's Carney Chukwuemeka following his recent loan spell.

The 21-year-old's six-month stint at the Westfalenstadion is now officially over following BVB's elimination from the Club World Cup, where they suffered a 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in Saturday's chaotic quarter-final.

Chukwuemeka was only brought off the bench for the final eight minutes of that contest, and he played just an hour in total in the USA, failing to make a single start for Niko Kovac's side.

The former Aston Villa starlet was also little more than a fringe player throughout the second half of last season, only making one start in the Bundesliga and one in the Champions League.

Intense competition for places from Pascal Gross, Julian Brandt and Marcel Sabitzer forced Chukwuemeka to take more of a backseat role, but whether he can reignite his Chelsea career is another question entirely.

Dortmund chief confirms desire to keep Chelsea's Chukwuemeka

In spite of his standing as a peripheral player for Dortmund, Chukwuemeka is wanted back at the Westfalenstadion, Kehl confirmed to journalist Ben Jacobs following Saturday's defeat to Los Blancos.

"Carney’s loan ends today. That's what we agreed with Chelsea. Now, let’s see. We will definitely have some more discussions in the next few days about his situation," Kehl said.

"I think it was a good move from Carney to join us. Now let's see how we manage everything. It won't be easy, but for sure we will try to keep him because he's a very good player. This topic is something for the future, and right now I don’t know what will happen."

However, Kehl also conceded that another loan agreement would likely be more feasible than a permanent transfer, and nothing is imminent regarding the midfielder's future, adding: "It's always easier to loan a player than to buy one, especially within Carney’s [price] range.

"We are not that far advanced [with talks] at the moment, but I can tell you that we are pretty close to the player, and he loves Dortmund, so this is quite good.

"Everything else will be decided between Chelsea and us. That won't be on Monday or Tuesday. I think it will take some more days."

What happened to Chukwuemeka's option to buy?

When Chelsea and Dortmund shook hands on a loan deal for Chukwuemeka in January, the two clubs are also said to have agreed on an option for BVB to sign the Englishman permanently for around €35m (£30.2m).

However, Bild - via SportWitness - claims that the clause was only active until before the Club World Cup began and thus is no longer valid.

Instead, Dortmund must try to negotiate a fee with Chelsea - who have the upper hand given his contract situation and BVB's desire to sign him - or settle for another loan deal for next season.

Chukwuemeka still has three years left to run on his deal with the Blues, whom he has scored two goals in 32 appearances for since an €18m (£15.5m) move from Aston Villa in 2022.

Written by
Ben Knapton