Arsenal join the race to sign Aston Villa's Nigeria-eligible midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka

NORTH London English Premier League side Arsenal have joined in the race to sign Aston Villa's Nigeria-eligible midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka who is currently highly sought after following his heroics in the recent European U19 Championship.

Chukwuemeka, 18, who played a significant part in England winning the recently-concluded  European U19 Championship, was named in the U19 Euro Team of the Tournament. Earlier this week, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, said Barca are very interested in snapping up the Aston Villa midfielder as he is appreciated as a player with huge potential.

Now, Arsenal have joined in the race for the talented midfielder's signature, who is said to have attracted the attention of the likes of Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. Aston Villa are trying to persuade the youngster who has one year left on his present contract, to agree to new terms but their offers have been rejected by his agents.

Chukwuemeka, who was on target in the Under-19 European Championship final against Israel, was one of the Young Lions' outstanding players in the tournament. However, he only started only two Premier League games for Aston Villa last season and made just 10 appearances from the bench and dissatisfied with his limited playing time, he is keen to leave Villa Park.

Eligible to play for three different countries, Chukwuemeka is eligible to represent Nigeria through his father and Austria through birth, as well as England. During the recent U19 tournament in Slovakia, Chukwuemeka scored three goals and provided two assists in five matches and was one of four England players named in the tournament XI.