Lazio are eyeing a move for Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer and could use his connection to Maurizio Sarri to convince him of the move.
That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who say the player will be leaving Chelsea this summer as his contract expires in 2024.
Hudson-Odoi has spent this season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen but that proved to be a failure for all involved, with him managing just 21 games in all competitions, one goal and one assist and 1073 minutes of football in total.
The German side have elected to avoid signing him on a permanent basis and that means he will be returning to Stamford Bridge this summer.
It’s unlikely that he will be in Chelsea’s plans moving forwards given the options in the current squad and thus they will need to sell as his contract expires in June 2024.
Fortunately for the Blues there is interest in him, with Lazio, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace all keen on a deal that could be worth €12m.
The Italian side, though, ‘can play the Sarri card’ and use that to their advantage. He was the first coach at Chelsea to give Hudson-Odoi a starring role as he became a regular in 2017/18 when they won the Europa League.
That could factor into the player’s decision-making process, with the chance to revive that relationship sure to be something he considers closely.
Either way, Chelsea ‘need to sell him’ this summer and Lazio are in the mix, hoping their manager can prove decisive to them beating Premier League competition to the signing.
