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Chelsea doing the right thing over Callum Hudson-Odoi transfer - Trevor Francis
CHELSEA have been urged to keep Callum Hudson-Odoi despite the young winger handing in a transfer request.
Chelsea SHOULD sell Callum Hudson-Odoi says Trevor Francis
Bayern Munich have made four offers for Hudson-Odoi - the latest a whopping £35million, after starting at £20m early in the winter window.
The 18-year-old has not started a league game for the senior side but has been earmarked as a future star.
And the Bundesliga giants are confident the Englishman will prove his worth in Germany, where he has been promised more first-team minutes.
Teenage sensation Jadon Sancho left Manchester City in 2017 to join Borussia Dortmund in search of more game time and has been a revelation, scoring six goals and registering nine assists as Dortmund have surged to the league’s summit.
Sancho revealed earlier in the window he had spoken to his countryman about the move, and that may have played a part in Hudson-Odoi’s decision to hand in a transfer request, which he did on Sunday.
The Blues have a bad reputation for farming young talent only to flee them for profit, but the club is determined to hold onto Hudson-Odoi, one of their finest academy graduates.
It has been reported the teenager turned down an £80,000-a-week deal from Chelsea, which was offered in hope of extinguishing speculation.
Chelsea have declined all offers from Bayern, and Trevor Francis - the first footballer to cost £1m - believes the west London club are taking the right stance.
“It’s being rumoured that it’s £35-40million, it’s just extraordinary the figures today,” the European Cup winner told beIN SPORT.
“And we’re talking about a lad that’s shown a bit of potential
“If it was any other club than Chelsea, I'd sell him for that kind of money.”
The German champions have not been coy in their pursuit of Hudson-Odoi, and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was criticised by Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri for the club’s public courting of the player.
Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi needs to go to Bayern says pundit
He is a very interesting player we really want to sign
“He is a very interesting player we really want to sign,” Salihamidzic told Bild at the start of January.
“He has qualities that fit our game. He can dribble, he is fast, he moves well towards the goal.
“He is a young player who has great potential to evolve. I see in him a really good player who would certainly be a good face to join us.”