Chelsea make Hudson-Odoi triple promise as Liverpool, Man Utd lurk

Chelsea have informed Callum Hudson-Odoi they will not sell him for any price this summer – and will stand by their decision even if the teenager refuses to sign an extension to his contract.

Hudson-Odoi, 18, became England’s youngest competitive debutant in Friday’s 5-0 thumping of the Czech Republic, eclipsing Duncan Edwards’ record set in 1955, and made his full debut in Podgorica against Montenegro on Monday night. You can see how he, and his England teammates, performed in our Player Ratings, here.

But his club future remains very much under the spotlight, and with just 15 months left on his contract and seemingly not wishing to extend his deal, Chelsea looked as though they were facing a huge battle to retain the youngster’s services.

Hudson-Odoi was the subject of strong interest from Bayern Munich in January, while both Liverpool and Manchester United are reported to be considering summer swoops for the talented winger, who has a price tag of around £40million on his head.

However, according to The Times, Chelsea have recently spoken with Hudson-Odoi agent and told him they will not sell him under any circumstances this summer – even though their decision could cost them millions if he were to walk away on a free transfer 12 months later.

Furthermore, Chelsea hope to persuade Hudson-Odoi that he remains a big part of their plans going forward and hope to offer him some reassurances over his playing time at Stamford Bridge.

In addition, and as part of a three-pronged promise to the player, The Times claims Chelsea will show their commitment to the winger by upping their initial contract offer of £50,000 a week to much nearer the £80,000 a week mark – a deal that could make him the highest-paid teenager in the Premier League.

Much of Chelsea’s stance on Hudson-Odoi comes as a result of the transfer ban imposed on them by FIFA, which prevents them from signing new players for the next two windows. While an appeal will be heard next month, Chelsea are preparing for the worst. Defender Andreas Christiansen recently revealed the club have told the club there is a blanket ban on player exits this summer, further confirming the club’s stance on Hudson-Odoi.

Hudson-Odoi has also been handed some transfer advice by Gareth Southgate, who has has told the youngster to think carefully before pushing for a Chelsea exit.

“If you look at number of appearances, he has actually been on the field quite a lot,” said Southgate.

“And I know from when we were talking with the club earlier in the season how much faith Maurizio [Sarri] has in him. He has got some outstanding players just in front of him but he’s slowly getting more and more game time.

“So, I think he’s maturing well. There doesn’t need to be a rush for him. We’ve seen that with Marcus Rashford and his development.

“He’s getting first-team football and that’s important. For us, I think his progress is good.”

 

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