5 clubs interested – but £40m demands and player’s preference have killed transfers so far | OneFootball

For whatever reason – and it remains very murky and mysterious for us – Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca decided he didn’t like Carney Chukwuemeka very early on after taking over in the summer, and has barely used the midfielder.

The Blues then had the whole summer to try and find their £20m signing a new home, but couldn’t manage it. Then they’ve had the whole of this season so far, while Carney has been on the bench, to find a place to move him to. They’ve failed in that too. Now they’ve had 28 days of January, and not only has he not moved, there doesn’t even seem to be anything close to happening.

Lots of interest – but Chelsea’s terms and Chukwuemeka’s demands make deal impossible

Carney Chukwuemeka surges through midfield. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The Daily Mail’s piece today claims Chelsea want £40m for the midfielder, meaning they expect teams to pay double what they did after two and a half seasons which he’s spent mainly on the bench or injured. That seems ambitious – no wonder no deal is close.

They list 5 interested parties – Juventus, Porto, West Ham, Everton and Borussia Dortmund. But really, it’s hard to see any move happening at that price.

A solution which fell apart was a loan to their sister club Strasbourg – Chukwuemeka reportedly turned down the chance to play for Liam Rosenior’s rising force because he is “keen to test himself in a stronger league than France’s Ligue 1.”

That’s a very reasonable stance – but surely 6 months playing in Ligue 1 would have been better than 6 months not even making our bench at Chelsea? There’s still enough time for a move for Chukwuemeka to be found, but either he or Chelsea are going to have to change their stance soon or he risks another wasted season.