Chelsea 'make final decision on Callum Hudson-Odoi future'

The 22-year-old was previously regarded as one of the most promising talents to emerge from the Cobham academy ranks, but injuries have severely hampered his development.

After struggling to become a regular starter for Thomas Tuchel, Hudson-Odoi tried his hand at Bundesliga football, joining Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the 2022-23 season.

The England international's fortunes did not improve much in Germany either, as he registered just one goal and one assist in 21 matches, failing to score in 14 Bundesliga outings.

Having initially broken into the first XI with six Champions League starts, Hudson-Odoi played just seven minutes of top-flight football from March onwards and also made just one substitute appearance during Leverkusen's run to the Europa League semi-finals.

Xabi Alonso's side unsurprisingly did not pursue a permanent deal for the attacker, who is now due to report back to Chelsea for pre-season training under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, Hudson-Odoi's contract expires at the end of next season, and according to Football Transfers, the Blues now want him gone for good.

Hudson-Odoi seemingly does not have a future at Stamford Bridge with Pochettino at the helm, and Chelsea would hope to garner a fee of £20m for the Englishman this summer.

The report adds that the Blues do not intend to let Hudson-Odoi leave the club on loan again, but a deal is unlikely to be concluded until the latter stages of the summer window.

A handful of clubs are believed to be keeping a close eye on the situation, with Crystal Palace and Lazio among them, as well as two unnamed teams from Saudi Arabia.

However, Nottingham Forest - whose head coach Steve Cooper worked with Hudson-Odoi during the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, which England won - are currently considered the favourites for his signature.

The 22-year-old has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since 2007, and he is set to leave having posted 16 goals and 22 assists in 126 senior games for the Blues in all competitions.

Hudson-Odoi has won the Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FA Cup in a Chelsea jersey, and the attacker is set to follow a plethora of fringe players out of the Chelsea exit door.

Fellow attacker Christian Pulisic is believed to be closing in on a move to AC Milan, but Hakim Ziyech's proposed switch to Al-Nassr has ostensibly broken down due to a failed medical.

Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kai Havertz, Cesar Azpilicueta, Tiemoue Bakayoko and N'Golo Kante have also said their goodbyes as Pochettino trims his bloated squad.