PL club deemed frontrunners to sign Chelsea outcast, Blues demanding £8m fee - Reports
Fulham are the favorites to sign Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi despite competition from Lazio, according to Ed Aarons of The Guardian.
Hudson-Odoi, who has been with the Blues since 2007, made his senior debut for the club in their 3-0 FA Cup win against Newcastle United in January 2018. He has made 126 appearances across competitions for the Stamford Bridge outfit, bagging 16 goals and 22 assists.
The England international has helped Chelsea win five trophies, including the UEFA Champions League. However, he has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter for the London giants. The winger now faces an uncertain future, having entered the final year of his contract.
Simon Johnson of The Athletic recently reported that Hudson-Odoi has decided to leave this summer. The Blues, meanwhile, are prepared to listen to offers for the attacker, who spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen. He contributed towards just two goals in 21 games across competitions for the German club.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on Twitter earlier this week that Serie A club Lazio are in advanced talks to sign Hudson-Odoi. I Biancocelesti boss Maurizio Sarri, who handed the Englishman 24 appearances as Chelsea manager, is reportedly keen to bring him to Italy.
However, Fulham, who have been linked with a move for Hudson-Odoi all summer, remain in the driving seat to acquire his services, according to the aforementioned source. The Cottagers, though, are yet to meet the Blues' £8 million valuation of the player.
When Chelsea rejected £70m bid for Callum Hudson-Odoi
A transfer fee of £8 million is peanuts for many European clubs in the current market. However, it wasn't long ago that Callum Hudson-Odoi was considered one of the most exciting prospects in the continent. The winger was notably the subject of multiple bids from Bayern Munich between 2019 and 2020.
Bayern Munich initially expressed their interest in roping in Hudson-Odoi in January 2019. The Bundesliga heavyweights had an offer worth £30 million rejected by Chelsea at the time. Another bid worth £22.5 million was also turned down by the Blues the following summer.
Bayern refused to give up their pursuit of Hudson-Odoi as they returned with another offer the following year. The Bavarians offered to take the winger on loan for the 2020-21 season with an option to make the move permanent for £70 million. However, Chelsea refused to change their stance and snubbed that proposal as well.