He may only be 19, but Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi has already had plenty to deal with when it comes to transfer speculation over his future.
The teenager was heavily linked with a move to Germany last season amid interest from Bayern Munich, with Hudson-Odoi submitting a transfer request as he grew frustrated at a lack of game time under former boss Maurizio Sarri.
But a move did not materialise and earlier this year, with Frank Lampard now in charge at Chelsea , Hudson-Odoi put pen to paper on a new five-year contract as he pledged his future to the Blues.
And Hudson-Odoi has admitted that it only took one conversation with Lampard to convince him of signing the deal.
"I can't say exactly what he said but he just said he believes in me, he wants me to work hard and if I believe in myself then he believes in me and things will go well for me at this club," Hudson-Odoi said, speaking while on international duty with England.
"He wants me to play for him. They were encouraging signs that you want to hear from a manager."
Hudson-Odoi has admitted that the chance to go to Germany was something he considered, amid interest from Bayern last January.
But he said that ultimately his love for Chelsea was a deciding factor as he opted to stay in west London and try to force his way into the first team.
“I was thinking about it,” he said of Bayern Munich's interest, as quoted by the Independent.
“Just because of times last year where I felt a bit of frustration or times when I wanted to play more. There were times where I was thinking ‘What happens if I do that?’ So I thought about it but at the same time I thought ‘This is my club, I love the club so I want to stay’.”
And the 19-year-old has made 11 appearances for the Blues in all competitions so far this season since returning from an Achilles injury in September, with Hudson-Odoi scoring on his return to the side in a 7-1 win against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.
He has also earned a recall to the England senior squad and could feature for Gareth Southgate's side against Montenegro in a European Championships qualifier tonight (Thursday).
