Chelsea have been active buyers again in the summer 2025 transfer window, completely transforming their attack for another year running with the additions of young wingers Estevao Willian and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, along with a new striker pairing of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, their latest acquisition from Brighton.
As the transfer market winds down to the deadline on Aug. 31, Chelsea are turning their focus, too, more to sales than incoming transfers. Chelsea are obviously actively shopping striker Nicolas Jackson, but they are also keen on moving backup midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.
The most logical landing spot for Chukwuemeka is Borussia Dortmund, where the 21-year-old spent the last season on loan. Chukwuemeka, though, started just one Bundesliga match for Die Schwarzgelben in 2024/25, and while there are still talks regarding a deal, it’s entirely unclear if Niko Kovac and Co. want to take the plunge on the England international.
In the meantime, a new transfer suitor has popped up for Chelsea to consider as a landing spot for Chukwuemeka, and it comes in the form of a former league-winning Chelsea manager.
Antonio Conte loves gambling on Premier League pedigree
Antonio Conte is fresh off conquering Serie A again, albeit with underdogs Napoli this time, and he seems to like Premier League players, seeing as how Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku were his biggest stars en route to the Scudetto.
According to reporting from Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto on Romano’s Italian YouTube channel, Carney Chukwuemeka is one of three midfielders Napoli are seriously considering signing in the final weeks of the summer transfer market.
Napoli are considering a signing and have already made inroads to gauge him as an option. It won’t be surprising to see the Partenopei make a formal approach and begin negotiations with both Chelsea and the midfielder shortly.
Chukwuemeka is a great athlete and legitimate midfield talent, but he has no future with Chelsea. The Blues are already logjammed at all midfield positions, and they have arguably the best five-group in the 6 and 8 positions in world football amongst Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia, and the newest addition Dario Essugo from Las Palmas.
Meanwhile, Napoli are also very strong in midfield with Stanislav Lobotka, Frank Anguissa, McTominay, and now Kevin De Bruyne in the crew, but they could use Chukwuemeka as the fith man. Given they will likely pursue him on loan, though, Chelsea may balk and hope for a permanent solution for him.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2011. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has contributed to sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. Joe’s work has appeared in ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling, respectively.