According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa are now open to selling Carney Chukwuemeka for £20m this summer.

The Lowdown: Chukwuemeka in demand

Having been given his senior debut by Dean Smith towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign, the 18-year-old went on to make 12 first-team appearances last term, all in the Premier League.

Although his exposure to senior football remains minimal, the midfielder has very much been a man in demand recently, according to a litany of transfer reports. In recent days, Barcelona, Manchester United and Newcastle have all been linked with the teenager.

Chukwuemeka has made an impression on the pitch during the summer, scoring in the final as England triumphed in the European Under-19 Championship recently and being named in the team of the tournament.

The Latest: Villa open to Chukwuemeka sale

Romano took to Twitter on Saturday night to make a significant claim about Villa's stance on Chukwuemeka.

Steven Gerrard's side could be open to parting ways with the young midfielder, putting a £20m price tag on his head with less than 12 months remaining on his current contract at Villa Park.

He notified his followers: "Aston Villa are now open to selling Carney Chukwuemeka - they have set an asking price around £20m for the player who’s in the last year of his contract. Barcelona lead the chase ahead of a host of European elite clubs, as revealed earlier this week."

The Verdict: Think carefully

On surface level, it could make perfect sense for Villa to accept offers of £20m or more for Chukwuemeka, given how little senior football he has played and his comparatively meagre Transfermarkt valuation of just £5.4m.

However, Johan Lange and co must also consider the sheer potential that they could jettison if they sanction the 18-year-old's sale. His aforementioned underage exploits hint at a player who is in flying form, while Gerrard himself has backed him to become "a big player for Aston Villa".

Also, with doubts over the futures of Morgan Sanson and Douglas Luiz at Villa Park, the club must be careful not to leave themselves threadbare in the middle of the pitch by also allowing Chukwuemeka to depart. For now, he is player very much worth keeping around, and there is still ample time to get his contract situation sorted.