Rummenigge: Bayern Munich will continue Callum Hudson-Odoi pursuit

Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi controls the ball prior to scoring his side's second goal of the game Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Stamford Bridge 27-01-2019 . (Photo by John Walton/EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)
Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi controls the ball prior to scoring his side's second goal of the game Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Stamford Bridge 27-01-2019 . (Photo by John Walton/EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)

Bayern Munich will not give up in their pursuit of signing Callum Hudson-Odoi but will continue to negotiate with Chelsea for a summer transfer.

The winter transfer market didn’t exactly go according to plan for Bayern Munich. Die Roten did sign Benjamin Pavard from VfB Stuttgart, but the Frenchman will join the club at the end of this season rather than in January. Beyond that, the Bavarians failed to secure their main targets, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Lucas Hernandez.

Bayern put in a lot of effort to sign Hudson-Odoi in January, but Chelsea stood firm on their position that the 18-year-old would not be allowed to leave. The Blues remain hopeful of convincing him to place his future in their hands.

Speaking to Goal, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge asserted that his club will continue their pursuit of the English teenager. The Bayern chief insists that Hasan Salihamidzic is totally convinced that Hudson-Odoi is the right fit for Bayern’s present and future plans.

"“I guess Hasan is a bit like Uli. We also had transfers in the past that didn’t work at the first attempt but at the second. And that’s what we will work on now.“To lay down a marker costs money. We want the best quality players here at Bayern and Hasan is absolutely convinced of that player.”"

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Die Roten made their first move for Hudson-Odoi at the beginning of January with a few bids well under Chelsea’s evaluation of the player. The Germans eventually matched the English club’s fee with their fourth bid. Chelsea still didn’t accept Bayern’s offer, though, instead deciding to block any possible move during the winter window.

Hudson-Odoi was reportedly determined to join Bayern, and he even handed in a transfer request in the final week of the transfer window. Despite Chelsea’s pleas and the promise of a massive wage increase, Hudson-Odoi is not interested in committing his future to the club.

Bayern, meanwhile, are unlikely to resubmit a £40 million offer for the teenager in the summer. The youngster will have only twelve months left on his contract, so Chelsea will have to cash in or lose him for free in 2020. His contractual situation at Chelsea is likely to alert other top clubs in the summer too, however.

The Bavarians will be hoping that the player’s head doesn’t get turned with interest from other clubs. They are reportedly ready to make him central to their plans going forward and have even offered him the number 10 jersey. If there are no significant improvements in Hudson-Odoi’s minutes at Chelsea, expect him to be Bayern’s first signing of the summer transfer window.