Liverpool are understood to have joined Bayern Munich in the race to secure the signature of Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea in the summer, German publication Kicker has claimed.
The 18-year-old currently has less than 15 months remaining on his contract with the Blues and so far, he has shown no intention of committing his long-term future to the west London giants.
Due to this, there has been regular speculation regarding his future beyond the current campaign and Kicker claims that the Blues could be bracing themselves for a potential approach from league rivals Liverpool.
As per the publication, the Reds could offer competition to Bayern Munich to pursue the Blues graduate after holding a dialogue with the player’s representative regarding a summer move away from Stamford Bridge.
Opinion:
At the present stage, the Blues have found no breakthrough with regards to a contract extension with the youngster and this sees them with the risk of losing him on a free transfer in 15 months’ time.
Still, there are doubts whether the Capital side would prefer a winter sale, given they have recently been levied with a two-window transfer ban by FIFA, which could scupper their plans for the summer.
The London giants have made their move to appeal over the decision, but that has not helped them freeze the embargo which was previously the solution with any cases associated with football’s governing body.
Should the appeal be unsuccessful, they can take up the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to try and freeze the ban, although there remains no assurances of the same.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s interest in Hudson-Odoi may seem viable ahead of the summer, but the Blues would surely prefer sanctioning the attacker’s sale abroad, if they wish, rather than strengthening a direct league rival.
Hudson-Odoi has made 24 appearances in all competitions for the Blues this term but just six of those have come in the Premier League where he has entirely featured from the substitutes’ bench.
Despite this, the 18-year-old has already earned recognition with the England senior side with a couple of caps, and it will be interesting to see how Chelsea deal with the player’s future when the campaign concludes.
Image – Getty
