RB Leipzig open talks with Chelsea over deal for Carney Chukwuemeka | OneFootball

RB Leipzig have commenced talks with Chelsea regarding a potential deal for midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, according to Sky Germany.

The 21-year-old spent the latter half of the 2024–25 season on loan at Borussia Dortmund where he made 17 across all competitions.

Chukwuemeka is expected to leave Stamford Bridge once again this summer. Chelsea value the Englishman at around £40 million and are keen to secure a permanent sale rather than another loan deal.

Previous attempts to agree on terms with Dortmund hit a deadlock, as the German club rejected Chelsea’s asking price and confirmed they would not exercise the option to buy.

Nonetheless, Chukwuemeka could now be set for another spell in the Bundesliga as Leipzig plot a move to bring him to the Red Bull Arena.

Having been fairly active in the window so far, Chelsea are keen to bring in some revenue from player sales to balance the books a bit and make room for potential further acquisitions.

From a Chelsea perspective, Leipzig’s interest in Chukwuemeka could not have come at a better time as the Blues target a swoop to bring Xavi Simons the other way.

Simons is open to joining Chelsea, who are expected to kick off negotiations with Leipzig soon, with the clubs already in contact over a move for Chukwuemeka.

A fee of around €70 million is being quoted as the likely fee Chelsea will have to pay for Simons, and the impending sale of Chukwuemeka could yield up to half of that figure.