Lazio identify 21-year-old Chelsea starlet among top January transfer targets

Transfer News: Lazio shortlist Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi among top targets in January

According to Football Italia (h/t The Sun), Lazio are eyeing a move for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and he is one of their top transfer targets in January. He has fought his way back into the starting squad and was excellent in his team’s 3-1 victory against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Maurizio Sarri is keen on bringing Hudson-Odoi to Italy in the winter transfer window. However, the latter’s resurgence to being in contention for selection could spoil the plans for the former Chelsea boss. Even if the forward is a top target for the Serie A club, it would still be surprising to see the Blues sell one of their top academy talents so early on in his career.

The Blues have already suffered from an injury crisis and it has severely impacted our title charge this season. In such a situation, it remains to be seen if Tuchel is in favour of weakening his squad.

Sarri to buy Hudson-Odoi?

The 21-year-old recently became the youngest player ever for the West London club to register ten league assists, beating Arjen Robben in the process. He had registered two assists against Villa and also won one of the penalties that Jorginho scored.

That is a solid turnaround as he had struggled to get minutes early in the season. So, it would be puzzling if we allow a transfer or even entertain this interest from Sarri’s club next month. If the situation had been similar to what it was at the start of the campaign, then it would have somewhat made sense for us.

However, the current circumstances tell us how the Englishman is a crucial part of the team. Not to mention, the depth of the squad could be affected if someone tests positive for Covid, gets injured, or is suspended. And that means we should have a healthy number of options to safeguard against it.

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The Blues winger has been an entertaining sight in recent times when others have struggled to make an impact. Certain big money signings have not had a similar effect to what he has done, and it would be a mind-boggling moment if we accept a transfer request for him.

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Stranger things have happened in football, so we cannot rule something out without proper confirmation. However, we could get a fair idea of what will happen in the coming days by assessing what we have seen so far.

A move to Italy could suit Hudson-Odoi as Tammy Abraham has found success playing for Lazio’s biggest rivals, AS Roma, while AC Milan have found a solid centre-back in Fikayo Tomori after signing him this summer. But that should be the least of our concerns and we should be primarily focused on safeguarding our best interest at a time where squad depth is proving to be a problem.