Chukwuemeka was the standout player for the Young Lions in their recent Under-19 European Championship win, scoring twice in the final to beat Israel.

 

Villa have been trying to secure the future of Chukwuemeka, who has just one year left on his current deal, but have been struggling to persuade him to sign an extension with several offers rejected.

 

The midfielder – who’s valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt – has previously been linked with Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, who remain interested, while a report on Friday claimed Newcastle and Arsenal had entered the race.

 

And now, Mundo Deportivo (via The Daily Mail) claim Barcelona have joined Borussia Dortmund, who are convinced the midfielder could be the next Jude Bellingham, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Atletico Madrid ‘in pursuit’ of the teenager.

 

Barcelona have expressed interest in signing the young midfielder, although he is ‘not a priority’ yet as they still hope to bring in Robert Lewandowski, and… they have no money.

 

The report claims Villa are now willing to sell Chukwuemkeka for £20m as contract talks have come to nothing, and he was not picked for Villa’s preseason tour of Australia, suggesting he is not in Steven Gerrard’s plans next season.

 

Meanwhile, Villa have announced that they are now close to signing Ludwig Augustinsson on a season-long loan deal from Spanish side Sevilla.

 

The 28-year-old featured 27 times for Sevilla during the 2021/22 campaign. This includes several appearances in the Champions League.

 

Villa said via their official website: “Aston Villa can confirm that the club has reached an agreement with Sevilla FC for the season-long loan of Ludwig Augustinsson. The player has begun the process of obtaining a work permit.”

 

Augustinsson has made 46 senior appearances for Sweden, playing the full 90 minutes in three Nations League games last month.

 

He has spent just one season in LaLiga after joining from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen in the summer of 2021.

 

Villa signed fellow Sevilla defender Diego Carlos, midfielder Boubacar Kamara and goalkeeper Robin Olsen last month, while Philippe Coutinho’s loan move from Barcelona was made permanent in May.