Chelsea supporters will love what Frank Lampard has said about his plans for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The teenager has less than 12 months remaining on his contract with the west London outfit and links to Bayern Munich refuse to go away even following the departure of Maurizio Sarri has head coach.
Last week Sky Sports claimed the Bundesliga giants launched a £22.5m bid for the Blues wonderkid, only for that to be rejected as this transfer saga promises to last at least another six weeks.
However, Lampard is keen to resolve Hudson-Odoi's future as soon as possible.
"I have seen Callum come through and he is a fantastic talent," Lampard told the club's official website. "We all know that and I will speak to him and I want him to stay.
"I know the club want him to stay and for me, he is going to be central for us on the pitch and that is the opportunity that is really in front of him now, certainly from where I am sitting.
"So that is something I will speak to him about and I hope he stays.
"When I say he is going to be central to it, there are things as a young player that he will want to improve and there are things through natural development that will improve, so I am not going to say things that are pie in the sky but with his talent, he can be central to this team, he can be central to England, so I am going to say I want to work with him, I want to drive him forward and I want to improve him as a player.
"He can show, right here at Chelsea, the team he came through the Academy at, that he is going to be a world-class player because I truly believe that."
Chelsea fans will be hopeful that Hudson-Odoi follows in the footsteps of Ruben Loftus-Cheek by committing his long-term future to the club.
And there's some good news on that front.
football.london understands that Hudson-Odoi is more willing to sign a new deal with the Blues after the announcement that Lampard is head coach and there appears to be more of a pathway for his future.
