Aston Villa are seemingly bracing themselves for the departure of contract rebel Carney Chukwuemeka, with the teenager the subject of interest from clubs across Europe.

What's the word?

As per journalist Gregg Evans, the 18-year-old - who has just a year remaining on his current deal - is now facing an uncertain future at Villa Park having been omitted from the club's tour of Australia, with an agreement yet to be reached regarding a contract extension.

Writing on Twitter, the Villa correspondent stated: "Carney Chukwuemeka has not travelled to Australia with the #AVFC group. His Villa future is now in serious doubt. Contract talks have been ongoing since October but no agreement. Barcelona, among other clubs, are interested."

In his attached piece for The Athletic, Evans reveals that the Austrian-born gem had initially been due to link up with the rest of the squad following his recent international commitments, although is now set to stay in England, amid potential interest from La Liga giants, Barcelona.

Manager Steven Gerrard has also opened up on that decision to leave the promising youngster out of the travelling party, stating that: "Carney’s yet to sign a contract offer that’s been in place for some time now, so I’ve decided that the best thing for him would be to continue his training programme back at Bodymoor."

Supporters gutted

That omission will no doubt have alarm bells ringing among Villa supporters, with it looking as if the club are preparing for life without the former Northampton Town youth star.

While the £5.4m-rated playmaker has only enjoyed a brief flirtation with the first team - making 16 senior appearances for the Midlands side thus far - the expectation had been that he would go on to become a key player in the years to come, with it set to come as a real hammer blow if he is to depart.

Lauded as "probably the best 16-year-old in England" by club CEO Christian Purslow a few years ago, the spotlight has been shining on the £2.4k-per-week menace for a long while now, with it having almost looked a certainty that he would continue his development with his current side.

His first Premier League start - which came against Brentford early last season - also earned rave reviews from pundit Paul Merson, with the former England international stating that:

“He will be an absolute star. He glides across the pitch. He is a nice size. He gets on the ball. He looks for it and makes runs without the ball. I think Villa fans going away will definitely be talking about him.”

While the departure of Dean Smith - and the subsequent arrival of Gerrard - did perhaps hamper his involvement for much of the previous campaign, a strong summer while on international duty had seemingly enhanced his chances of featuring more regularly next term.

A focal point of Ian Foster's England U19 side at the recent European Championship, Chukwuemeka provided five goal contributions in just five tournament games, notably netting a late, extra-time strike to put his side ahead in the eventual 3-1 victory over Israel in the showpiece.

That stunning form has no doubt attracted attention from club's across the continent, with it perhaps somewhat understandable if the midfielder's head has been turned, such is the wealth of interest at present.

That being said, for the Villans faithful there will be a great sense of frustration and disappointment if the 6-foot starlet does opt for pastures new in the near future, with the player potentially having been a figure that Gerrard could build around in the coming years.

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