Bayer 04 Leverkusen will apparently realize a transfer that the industry leader Bayern Munich failed forever: With Callum Hudson-Odoi, a player is said to be about to move to the Bundesliga, whom national coach Hansi Flick described as “one of the greatest talents in his position”.
According to media reports, Callum Hudson-Odoi’s move to Bayer Leverkusen is nearing completion. As reported by Sky Sports, both clubs have agreed on a loan with no purchase option until the end of the season. Accordingly, the 21-year-old attacker from the English Premier League club FC Chelsea was expected on Monday at the Bundesliga club for a medical check-up. Simon Rolfes had not ruled out a transfer from Hudson-Odoi days ago. “It’s no secret that we still want to do something in terms of position and attack due to the injuries to Adli and Bellarabi,” said the Leverkusen managing director last Saturday shortly before the game against Mainz (3-0) when asked about it. “As long as nothing is fixed, I won’t say anything more specific about any names.”
With a commitment at Bayer Leverkusen, Hudson-Odoi would still find his way into the Bundesliga: FC Bayern had tried hard to get the player’s services in several transfer periods, but a change never came about. Both in winter 2019/2020 and in the following autumn, those responsible for the record champions vehemently courted Hudson-Odoi, whom the then Bayern coach Hansi Flick had described as “one of the greatest talents in his position”.
It is “quite legitimate that FC Bayern is dealing with him”. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, how the transfer is going,” admitted Flick in October 2020, a few days before the transfer window, which was open longer due to the corona, closed. That was apparently too much rumbling for his superiors, according to information from the Munich “tz” there should have been internal trouble for it. From the hanging game to the end of the transfer period, Flick was very annoyed: “We have to and want to know who’s coming.”
Ultimately, the negotiations with Chelsea FC in autumn 2020 apparently failed because the Premier League club wanted to include a clause in the loan agreement that would have obliged FC Bayern to buy it if the then 19-year-old made a certain number of appearances would. The Bundesliga club, on the other hand, did not want to get involved and instead wanted to be assured of a unilateral purchase option. The matter struck, it seems final. Hudson-Odoi, who went through Chelsea youth and has now played three times for England’s national team, made three appearances in the first four games of the Premier League season at Chelsea without playing.
