Bayern Munich and Liverpool have received a major boost in pursuit of Callum Hudson-Odoi, after his omission from Chelsea’s matchday squad on Wednesday.
According to a report by The Sun, Bayern Munich and Liverpool have received a major boost in pursuit of Callum Hudson-Odoi. The teenage prodigy, who has handed in a transfer request to Chelsea, could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after being omitted from the Blues’ matchday squad to face Bournemouth.
Hudson-Odoi joined the Chelsea youth setup aged seven before making rapid strides at their world-class academy. Still very much in his teens, the highly rated prospect is a rare academy graduate who has broken into the first-team setup straightaway instead of being hauled off on loan like just about every youngster has in the Roman Abramovich era.
But, the progress to the senior side has not quite gone as envisioned for Hudson-Odoi, who has started just six games this season. The frustration has clearly boiled over, with the player eager to call it quits at Chelsea, which has left Bayern Munich and Liverpool interested.
At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp does have plenty of top class options in attack. But, the German tactician is bereft of goof backup options to regular wide players Sadio Mane, Xherdan Shaqiri and former Chelsea superstar Mohamed Salah, particularly when he uses a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The interest in Hudson-Odoi thus, makes sense, with recent reports suggesting that Liverpool had held talks with him. But, it is the interest from Bayern Munich which has left Chelsea worried.
The Bundesliga champions are targeting Hudson-Odoi as part of their succession plan for Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. The Bavarians have even agreed to meet Chelsea’s valuation for the teenage prodigy, only to see the Blues slam the door shut on a January transfer.
The Premier League heavyweights are adamant that the 18-year-old will not be allowed to depart from Stamford Bridge this month and are ready to hand him more first-team minutes. But, after being excluded from the matchday squad for the 4-0 loss at Bournemouth on Wednesday, a late move could be on the cards.
Liverpool though, might not to prevail in the race to sign Hudson-Odoi, with Chelsea unlikely to let the player join their direct rivals. However, it remains to be seen if the 18-year-old is able to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson, who have enjoyed varying levels of success in Germany, by joining Bayern Munich.
