Liverpool are set to fight Manchester United for the transfer of Aston Villa starlet Carney Chukwuemeka.
Micheal Edwards is set to continue his trend of snapping up the best youth talent across the country to continue the chances of Liverpool establishing their dynasty.
The Daily Mail has reported that the Reds will battle Man Utd for the 16-year-old as they try to prise him away from Villa. Dean Smith’s side reckon they’ll be able to get him to sign new terms once COVID-19 settles down, said the article, but Liverpool are trying to hijack things.
You can see parallels in the Harvey Elliott story. Elliott had made his debut for Fulham and the Cottagers tried to get him to sign a professional contract, only for Jurgen Klopp to swoop in and convince the 16-year-old to move to Anfield.
And now they’re trying to do the same with Carney Chukwuemeka.
Chukwuemek, who has scored two goals and assisted six in 18 U18 games, has been labeled as the best in the country in his age bracket by Villa leadership. He’s also made his debut for the U23s, impressive stuff for a boy so young.
The starlet has been brought through the academy is a central midfielder, but he can play in the energetic box-to-box role or higher up the pitch as a no. 10.
Chief executive Christian Purslow was reported in the Birmingham Mail as saying:
"“We have one right now, probably the best 16-year-old in England, Carney (Chukwuemeka).“Absolutely no debate, he’s starting for the U23s.”"
Klopp has an excellent history for bringing through young players into the first team. Elliott was getting minutes before his 17th birthday, while Curtis Jones and Neco Williams have been able to advance their professional career.
Chukwuemek can look towards through three for an indication of what could happen if he moves to Liverpool, provided he works hard and does the right thing.
Buying 16-year-olds is never an exact science and a lot can go wrong between being a talented prospect and a first team regular, but with the right systems in place it becomes less of a guessing game.