Exciting youngster on Eric Chelle’s watch not in Borussia Dortmund’s long-term plan

Borussia Dortmund are eager to retain Carney Chukwuemeka beyond the summer but are not planning to activate the €30m buy option in his loan deal from Chelsea, Footynaija.com reports.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who moved to Germany during the January transfer window in search of regular minutes, has impressed in flashes for the Bundesliga side.

But according to RN, Dortmund consider the fee too high and are instead exploring the possibility of extending his loan — provided they qualify for European competition next season.

Dortmund currently sit eighth in the Bundesliga with 41 points from 28 matches, making a return to European football a realistic but challenging target.

Chukwuemeka, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in 2022, remains under contract at Stamford Bridge until June 2028. A product of Villa’s youth academy, he has made eight appearances for Dortmund, including two starts, and opened his goal account last weekend in a 4-1 victory away to Freiburg.

Carney Chukwuemeka scores his first Dortmund goal on his first start pic.twitter.com/ANmMbLgQ0A

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Born in Austria, Chukwuemeka is eligible to represent three nations — Austria, England, and Nigeria.

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle is reportedly monitoring the midfielder ahead of the Unity Cup in London next month.

However, the likelihood of his participation appears slim, as Chukwuemeka remains provisionally cap-tied to England and has yet to begin the formal switch to play for the Super Eagles.