Chelsea have reached an agreement with Aston Villa for the permanent transfer of Carney Chukwuemeka for a fee in the region of £20m.

The 18-year-old has been given permission to travel to London to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical to complete the transfer process.

The Aston Villa midfielder is set to join Chelsea after six years at Villa Park; 18-year-old had 12 months remaining on his contract and had no interest in signing an extension; the England U19 international was part of the squad that lifted the U19 Euros this summer.

Barcelona had shown an interest, while Borussia Dortmund enquired about signing him and Chukwuemeka was keen to talk to Dortmund about the possibility, having seen the opportunities given to other young England exports such as Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.

Steven Gerrard had previously confirmed he was part of his plans for the season, even though he was left out of the team’s summer tour of Australia, saying: “The best thing for him would be to continue his training regime back at Bodymoor (Heath training centre).”

The Blues have already signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly this summer, along with teenagers Eddie Beach from Southampton and Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal.