Chelsea reject Bayern loan bid for Hudson-Odoi that included £70m option to buy

Nizaar Kinsella

Chelsea reject Bayern loan bid for Hudson-Odoi that included £70m option to buy image

Chelsea have rejected an audacious bid from Bayern Munich for winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Goal can confirm.

The offer was for an initial loan but with an option to buy for £70 million ($89m) in 2021.

The German giants are willing to include an obligation to buy as they attempt to convince Chelsea to offload the 19-year-old, with Bayern having now made their third approach for the player in the last four transfer windows.

The latest offer dwarfs the last approach from the Champions League winners some 20 months ago, with a £35m ($44m) bid rejected at the time as Hudson-Odoi looked to leave having become frustrated at a lack of first-team football.

That was at a time when Maurizio Sarri was in charge, although Hudson-Odoi has again struggled for regular first-team football under new manager Frank Lampard.

Indeed, Bayern made their interest in Hudson-Odoi public during Chelsea's match against Crystal Palace - a game that the England winger started - with Hansi Flick confirming the Bavarians were still keen on signing him.

Reacting to Flick's admission, Lampard insisted that he wants the player to remain at Stamford Bridge but wasn't able to confirm he would definitely be staying up.

"I think Callum's performance, particularly in the second half when he got more aggressive, he showed ability and pace. Callum is absolutely part of our plans here," the Blues boss said after his side's 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

"There is no definitive answer [on Hudson-Odoi's future], we will know by Monday whether there is. Callum is our player, what Callum wants comes into consideration, it has to work for us."

Chelsea are in control of the situation despite the approach from the European champions, with the youngster having signed a new five-year deal last year.

Lampard did leave out several senior stars in the win over Palace, including Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Antonio Rudiger.

All four could leave Chelsea as they look to trim their squad after making six signings this summer, at a cost totalling around £220m ($275m).

Rudiger has attracted interest from Tottenham, West Ham, AC Milan, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain, while Alonso and Emerson are both being targeted by Inter.

Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, could also be allowed to leave on loan as the Blues look to help the 24-year-old build up his fitness following a serious injury that ruined his 2019-20 campaign.

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.