Carney Chukwuemeka profiled as Leeds United linked with Aston Villa and England youngster

Leeds United are reportedly in the hunt to sign Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. The young midfielder has been linked with a host of clubs including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, with the Whites the latest club reported to be interested.

Chukwuemeka was left out of Villa's squad for their pre-season tour of Australia - where they faced Leeds on Sunday. He has just entered the final year of his contract at Villa Park and has snubbed recent offers to extend his deal. It is understood that Chukwuemeka is valued at the £20 million mark.

With interest in the highly-rated midfielder heating up, here is everything you need to know about Chukwuemeka.

Chukwuemeka is a young midfielder, capable of playing as a number eight, as a more advanced midfielder, or even as a striker. He joined the Aston Villa academy from Northampton Town in 2016 as a 12-year-old - going on to sign his first professional contract four years later.

Chukwuemeka impressed in the Villa academy. He was named Aston Villa academy player of the season at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, and he was part of the under-18s side that beat Liverpool 2-1 to clinch the FA Youth Cup in 2021. His older brother, Caleb, is also at Villa, but the striker only joined last year from Northampton Town.

The midfielder was born in Austria, but he has been capped by England from under-17s up to under-19s level. Chukwuemeka has made a name for himself over the last 12 months by regularly pushing him into the first-team picture at Aston Villa.

Chukwuemeka's biggest achievement of his career to date came just a few weeks ago, helping England under-19s win the European Championship. The 18-year-old was key to England's triumph, scoring in the