OFFICIAL: Chelsea complete £20m midfielder move ahead of German deadline | OneFootball

Carney Chukwuemeka has concluded his move to Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.

The midfielder has been an outcast at Stamford Bridge since the summer, when new manager Enzo Maresca decided he didn’t fancy him. He’s had 5 appearances all year, and will be desperate for a fresh start.

According to most sources, the midfielder – who joined Chelsea for £20m from Aston Villa in 2022 – will be on loan to Dortmund for the rest of the season with an option to buy. Chukwuemeka has an open release clause of £40m in his contract, and presumably Chelsea will want something close to that.

Germany’s transfer window closes at 17:00 today, so there was always the need to get this one done nice and early, and after reports yesterday that Carney was flying out for his medical, it was always clear this saga was almost over.

Chukwuemeka needs a new chapter after Chelsea frustration

Enzo Maresca and Carney Chukwuemeka (Photo by Mike Hewitt, Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

It looks pretty likely now that Chukwuemeka joins Dortmund permanently at the end of this season, and even if they don’t activate their option to sign him, chances are that someone else will take the plunge, assuming he has a good run out in the Bundesliga. Either way, he’s likely played his last game for Chelsea.

It’s a sad end to the story which barely 18 months ago had Carney looking like he was going to be a key part of the team going forward. We always fear the worst when a player picks up an injury, and that was justified in this case. While he recovered physically, he was never really given another look in when it came to first team action.

Let’s hope a new chapter in his career gets him back on track.