Callum Hudson-Odoi will not be sold to Bayern Munich in the current transfer window or the next one, according to Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.
Hudson-Odoi scored just his second senior goal for Chelsea against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday and now looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Will Hudson-Odoi be a Chelsea player this time next year? Five key things to know…
- After an impressive pre-season, Hudson-Odoi started for Chelsea in their Community Shield defeat to Manchester City back in August.
- However, the 18-year-old has played just 61 minutes of Premier League football since then.
- According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have received four bids from Bayern Munich for Hudson-Odoi, the highest said to be around £35m, all of which have been turned down.
- Chelsea then rejected a transfer request from the teenager, who has apparently been told he won’t be sold his month or in the summer.
- A number of English youngsters have made the move to Germany in recent months including Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who has scored six Bundesliga goals this season.
Sarri has been cautious with his use of Hudson-Odoi this season, mostly giving the winger game time in the Europa League and the FA Cup.
But the Blues boss has suggested Hudson-Odoi does have a future at Stamford Bridge by confirming he will not be sold any time soon.
“The club told me in this window he will remain with us for sure, and very probably also in the next. I am very happy with this,” Sarri said in a press conference, according to Chelsea’s official website.
“I don’t have the power to sign new contracts here. On the pitch I am really very happy with him. He is improving. He will be the future of our club, and the future of English future.
“I am not frustrated. As I said before, on the pitch he is doing very well, in training and in matches. I am very happy with him, I’m not very happy with the situation, of course, but I know very well every big team here in England has the same problem.
“It’s not easy to keep these young players. He is of course one of the best 18-year-olds in Europe, so it’s very difficult, but the club told me he is out of the market for sure [now], and probably he will be out of the market in July.”
Following the multiple failed bids, Bayern have reportedly turned their attention to signing Benfica winger Joao Felix as a summer back-up plan should Hudson-Odoi remain at Chelsea.
Earlier in the transfer window Liverpool allegedly failed in a £61m move for the 19-year-old.
Should Hudson-Odoi be playing regularly?
It’s likely Hudson-Odoi will only be happy with the above development if his game time at Chelsea improves.
The youngster simply hasn’t been given enough opportunities to shine, which may have been in his mind when he allegedly handed in a transfer request.
Sarri doesn’t know if Hudson-Odoi will accept the club’s decision to keep him in London and says it is impossible to promise first-team opportunities.
“I don’t know if he is happy with that, but I can say what I see on the pitch. And on the pitch at the moment he is fantastic,” Sarri added.
“I cannot do anything. If I had the power to sign the new contract I could do everything. In my condition I cannot do anything.
“It’s impossible to promise him that he will play every match, because it depends on the situation, so I cannot do anything.”
READ MORE: Five things learned as Hudson-Odoi helps Chelsea into FA Cup fifth round amid Bayern links
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