Carney Chukwuemeka’s loan move from Chelsea to Borussia Dortmund has been a mixed bag, but he has shown plenty of promise.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the 21-year-old has done enough to convince the Bundesliga side that he’s worth keeping.
Chukwuemeka has made an impression on the decision-makers at Signal Iduna Park, who are now seriously weighing up the possibility of keeping him beyond this summer.
The Austrian-born English midfielder joined Dortmund late in January.
He was deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea, so a mid-season exit was the best move for all parties involved.
Chukwuemeka has only shown flashes of his potential at Chelsea. Recurring injury problems have hampered his development, but his loan move to Dortmund has offered him some semblance of stability.
Since joining the German outfit, he has made significant strides. His playing time has improved and the same can be said about his fitness.
His technical ability and immense quality are also beginning to shine through in Germany. Since joining Dortmund, Chukwuemeka has featured 10 times across all competitions.
He opened his goalscoring account earlier this month in the 4-1 win against SC Freiburg, although he hasn’t added to his tally since.
Dortmund have seen enough to believe Chukwuemeka has more to offer, and they want to make sure they get the best out of the once-promising midfielder.
It remains to be seen what kind of a deal they’ll propose, but Romano reports that both clubs will meet to discuss terms this summer.
Chukwuemeka’s loan move to Dortmund had a buy option clause set at around €30 million (£25.7m). Dortmund want to keep him, but not at that price.
The midfielder is valued at €15m (£12.8m) on Transfermarkt. Chelsea will certainly be keen to sell above that valuation after paying around £20m to sign him from Aston Villa.
However, the only way they’ll get a fee remotely close to their initial investment is if Chukwuemeka maintains his upward trajectory until the end of the season.
If he keeps getting into Niko Kovac’s side, it shouldn’t be too much to ask.
