The Bavarian have had an eye on many upcoming wingers in the last 3-4 years, ever since the retirement of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. Whilst the likes of Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman are great options to have, the club aren’t yet satisfied with it and are consistently looking for upgrade options in the market.
In this pursuit, they came across Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi, who ticked so many boxes to prosper at Bayern Munich. The England international spent nearly 10 years in the academy of the London club before he was fast-tracked to first-team football in 2017.
Bayern noticed that the Blues have unearthed a next generation superstar in Hudson-Odoi, and were prepared to pay a whopping 70-million-pound transfer fee to get hands-on the player. However, Chelsea continually declined bids for the 21-year-old.
Not just reigning Bundesliga champions, but also Chelsea themselves had a fair share of problems in the wider areas, especially when Frank Lampard was in charge. Since Thomas Tuchel operates in a slightly different system, the absence of a good winger hasn’t done lethal damage to the side, but they are weighing in many options who can act as good creators if not as proper wingers.
Since the departure of Eden Hazard, Chelsea had high hopes on Cristian Pulisic to replicate his heroics, and he did show great promise as well. But the American star is often struggling to cope with his injuries and has not featured a lot since Tuchel took over, giving the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner more game time.
Chelsea were very keen on getting Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, and with the player growing up in London as a Chelsea supporter, the chances seemed to be fair, but the player eventually chose to join Manchester United.
Among the many options available for purchase in January, Chelsea and Bayern Munich collectively are keeping an eye on Brazilian winger Raphinha, who is having a stellar time with Leeds United this season. He has scored eight times in the Premier League and bagged one assist, making him Leeds’ most prolific player this dreaded season, where the club are currently 16th on the table.
Bayerns interest in the 25-year-old will not be easy to pursue with the Blues of London equally keen on getting his signature on the dotted lines, and there is increasing confidence in England that the player might prefer a move within England. Tuchel might be just ahead in this race and with Leeds uncertain of keeping the player, a lot of things could transpire in this loop.
Among other players Chelsea are looking at, they have eyes on Bayern’s Kingsley Coman as well. The Frenhman, who is priced around 50 million pounds by the German club, is on Tuchel’s radar and is ready to leave the club if a top team promising regular first-team football is willing to meet Bayern’s financial demands.
Bayern and Chelsea have won the last two editions of the Champions League and are keen on keeping a dominant status in the European market. Tuchel could be handed nearly 70-80 million pounds to spend in the January window if they find the right target at the right price.
