Chelsea ready to sell Carney Chukwuemeka to West Ham United
Chelsea have made Carney Chukwuemeka available for sale in January amid interest from West Ham United, according to TBR Football.
The news outlet reported on Monday (6 January) that Chelsea are open to offloading the midfielder this month, but the Hammers will face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
However, the Blues have slapped a £40million asking price on Chukwuemeka, a fee West Ham are unwilling to pay and they could therefore look elsewhere in the market for an attacking midfielder.
Enzo Maresca is also willing to allow Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to depart West London in January, another midfielder on the radar of Tim Steidten as he looks to bolster the midfield options this month [Matt Law].
West Ham United to decide between two Chelsea midfielders
Chukwuemeka, at 21, would be the ideal signing of the two Chelsea midfielders, but £40m for a player with only one Carabao Cup appearance this season is farcical.
The West London outfit would do well to earn double the £20m they paid Aston Villa for his services and must realistically adjust their valuation of the midfielder.
West Ham are entering the January transfer market in a desperate position, with only a seven-point gap to the relegation zone in the Premier League – Lopetegui must significantly improve his squad this month.
With Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen’s long-term absences at the London Stadium, multiple problem positions must be addressed.
However, Dewsbury-Hall would be the most realistic option of the two Chelsea men – he has been playing regularly in the Europa Conference League for Chelsea and has significant Premier League experience from his time at Leicester City.
Chukwuemeka would be a fantastic signing for the future, but Lopetegui needs players ready to make an immediate impact at the London Stadium.
The £40m price tag should be enough for West Ham to take the logical approach and direct the attention to Dewsbury-Hall. However, Chelsea may decide to lower the valuation, and that would undoubtedly make this saga all the more interesting.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are only behind Brighton and Man City amid a new reveal.
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