West Ham stance on Hudson-Odoi revealed amid £15m transfer update
West Ham are still monitoring the situation of Callum Hudson-Odoi who would cost £15million to land from Chelsea, according to Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg.
The winger is entering the final year of a contract reportedly worth £120,000 at Stamford Bridge and could be the latest player to head for the Chelsea exit door this summer.
Steinberg wrote for the Guardian (28 June) that the Hammers are keeping tabs on Hudson-Odoi, although their top target for a left winger is Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes.
Milan, Fulham and Nottingham Forest are the clubs named by Steinberg as registering their interest in Hudson-Odoi.
The Hammers are likely to have significant funds to play with as Declan Rice closes on an exit, with Arsenal now his most likely destination.
Explore other options first
Hudson-Odoi has never really kicked on since breaking into the first-team picture at Chelsea as a prodigious teenager.
He spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen but made only 14 appearances in the Bundesliga and hardly set the league alight.
West Ham are in the market for a new addition on the left flank but right now it feels like other options should be explored before they move for Hudson-Odoi, who probably has stronger interest from elsewhere.
Barnes seems like the best option available in the market and, although he was relegated from the top flight with Leicester, he managed 13 Premier League goals for the Foxes last term.
If West Ham feel they might end being priced out of a move for Barnes then perhaps Hudson-Odoi might appear a little more prominently on their radar, but as things stand it would represent somewhat of a risk on a player who is still inconsistent.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are expected to concede to Gianluca Scamacca’s loan exit demand this summer.