Newcastle United have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi, who wants a loan move to St. James’ Park.
According to The Sun, Newcastle United have been handed a boost in their chase for Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi. The 21-year-old could be set to link up with Eddie Howe at Newcastle United on a season-long loan to curtail his lack of minutes under Thomas Tuchel.
Newcastle United have picked up from where they left off in the 2022/23 Premier League season, taking four points from a possible six and protecting two clean sheets in a row under Eddie Howe. But the club’s recruitment drive is far from over, as their search for attacking reinforcements this summer continues.
The Magpies made a £35 million approach for Anthony Gordon, but Everton have told them that the winger is not for sale at that price. Pursuits for Jack Harrison, Moussa Diaby, and Alexander Isak have all stalled and are dead in the water for similar reasons, with the clubs continuing to price Newcastle out of deals. As a result, they are now looking into the loan market to find a solution.
It is understood that Hudson-Odoi has been identified as an alternative option to pricey deals, with Chelsea open to listening to loan offers for the winger. The 21-year-old first came into the limelight back in 2018, marking his Chelsea debut in the Community Shield final at the age of 17.
Since then, Hudson-Odoi has played 126 senior matches for the club, registering 16 goals and 22 assists. At one point, he was considered one of the best young wingers in Europe and was a prime target for Bayern Munich. However, injuries have plagued his game-time at Chelsea, while his importance at Stamford Bridge has somewhat dwindled in the last couple of seasons.
Hudson-Odoi endured a frustrating 2021/22 season as he played just 1876 minutes of first-team football for Chelsea, with injuries playing spoilsport to a promising campaign. And the player has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea since then. Newcastle co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were in attendance at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea drew 2-2 against Tottenham.
Hudson-Odoi was one of four Chelsea players on the bench being pursued by the Magpies’ chiefs. The 21-year-old was expected to play for the Chelsea Under-21 team against Fulham on Monday night, but was withdrawn from the squad after loan interest intensified in the past 24 hours, with the youngster keen on moving to Newcastle United.
A loan move to St. James’ Park would make sense for all parties and could be a great opportunity for Hudson-Odoi to restore his self-belief and confidence and finally deliver to his potential. The Magpies play attacking football under manager Eddie Howe, so the Chelsea attacker would be a perfect fit at Newcastle.
However, Newcastle face stiff competition for Hudson-Odoi’s signature as clubs across England and Europe are believed to be interested in signing the Chelsea winger. But, as things stand, Newcastle seem to be the likely destination.