According to a report by Sky, Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is keen on a move to Bayern Munich. The young Englishman is said to have rejected the new contract that’s been offered to him, and is supposedly eager to move to the Bundesliga.

The transfer would not come cheap, though. Chelsea executive Marina Granovskaia is known for being a hard negotiator, and the Londoners will be keen to avoid a repeat of past mistakes. Bayern have already had two bids rejected, and the latest reports say that the German club have made a third offer of £30m (€33m) to acquire the services of the youngster as soon as possible.

However, it remains to be seen if Chelsea budge on their valuation, which is said to be upwards of £40m, and rumor has it that they want to include a buy-back clause in the contract. This would, of course, be unacceptable to a club like Bayern, but recent reports by Sky and The Sun make no mention of buy-back clauses.

Instead, it is stated that a deal could include a significant sell-on clause, as well as massive performance-related bonuses — presumably similar to what was agreed during Renato Sanches’ transfer from Benfica.

Having already felt the sting of losing out on talents such as Mohamed Salah, Romelu Lukaku, and Kevin De Bruyne, Chelsea are likely to try everything they can to keep the player, but they lack leverage as Hudson-Odoi’s contract expires in eighteen months.

Bayern, meanwhile, are looking for replacements to Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, and have clearly identified the 18-year-old as a suitable talent. The Bavarians have the example of Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho to look forward to, although Hudson-Odoi is likely to be far more expensive.

Finally, in case this story wasn’t complicated enough, Tuttosport claims that Juventus also want to get in on the action and snatch up the player. Tuttosport are usually hilariously unreliable, but because we live in the worst timeline, they were actually the first to report Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Juventus, and they did so accurately. Let’s hope that particular lightning bolt doesn’t strike twice.

Update: The Guardian reports that Chelsea are keen to sell

Bayern Munich make £30m offer for Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi @ed_aarons https://t.co/RpX9tFswaZ — Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) January 3, 2019

Unlike The Sun and Sky, The Guardian is a very reliable source. They’re reporting that Chelsea are seriously considering the sale of Callum Hudson-Odoi to the Bavarians, and that the player is very keen on the transfer too.

There’s nothing we haven’t already reported, but the fact that a reputable source like The Guardian is saying it lends these rumors some credence.

Update #2: According to a Sky reporter, Hudson-Odoi has asked Chelsea to let him transfer this window

Und fast noch wichtiger und vor allem neu: Hudson-Odoi hat nach unseren Infos persönlich um Freigabe für diesen Winter für den @FCBayern gebeten. Klingt so als könnte es Realität werden. Oder hängt es am Ende wirklich an der Ablöse? #poker https://t.co/VOW1btcGnz — Marc Behrenbeck (@Sky_Marc) January 3, 2019

Translation:

And more importantly and above all new: according to our information, Hudson-Odoi has personally requested his release for FC Bayern this winter. Sounds as if it could become reality. Or does it ultimately depend on the transfer fee? #poker

Translator’s note: In German, they commonly use “poker” to mean tough negotiations, like “Transferpoker”.

It looks like this transfer is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. However, we should always be wary of media reports. Nothing has been agreed between the clubs, and until Callum Hudson-Odoi is seen wearing a Bayern kit and shaking hands with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, these reports remain nothing more than glorified rumors.