Chelsea success story: New deal for €18m star becoming the next Jude Bellingham

Robin Bairner

12 Apr 2025 11:00 BST
3 min read

Jude Bellingham, Chelsea, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Chelsea are studying the possibility of completing a new deal with Borussia Dortmund for Carney Chukwuemeka, who is following in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham at the Bundesliga club.

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The current agreement between the clubs has been branded a “success story”, and a fresh deal could be made imminently.

Current ETV

Carney Chukwuemeka

M (C)

Dortmund

Carney Chukwuemeka

M (C)

Dortmund

ETV Range

€16.2M - €19.8M

Carney moved to the Bundesliga side on loan from Chelsea during the January transfer window but had a slow start because of injury issues.

Now the 21-year-old is starting to win over BVB, with his performance against Barcelona in the 4-0 Champions League defeat one of the few reasons for optimism for Niko Kovac’s side in that heavy loss. He also netted his first goal for his loan side in a 4-1 victory over Freiburg last weekend.

As such, Ruhr Nachrichten reports that a new deal is already being discussed between the sides.

© IMAGO - Felix Nmecha and Carney Chukwuemeka, Borussia Dortmund

Why Dortmund won’t sign Carney this summer

Dortmund have a €30 million purchase option in the current loan, but buying this is “currently out of the question for several reasons”.

Foremost among these is the fact that Dortmund are unlikely to have Champions League income next season as they lie eighth in the Bundesliga standings with just six matches remaining.

In addition, Carney’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €18m. While this is exactly the figure Chelsea spent to sign him from Aston Villa nearly two years ago, it is substantially below the purchase option currently in his deal.

As such, Dortmund are discussing the possibility of another loan, which could play out perfectly for both sides.

The next Jude Bellingham?

BVB could land a midfielder otherwise beyond their means while Chelsea can watch the development of the youngster with a view to ultimately integrating him into the first-team picture or selling him on at an inflated price.

Dortmund have already established themselves as an excellent destination for young English players to hone their game, with Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham recently securing big-money moves off the back of spells in the Ruhr Valley. Jamie Gittens is currently following a similar path.

Carney is expected to be heavily involved as Dortmund travel to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich in a blockbuster Bundesliga clash on Saturday.