Chelsea Set to Wait Until the Summer to Resolve Callum Hudson-Odoi's Future Amid Contract Standoff

Callum Hudson-Odoi's Chelsea future is set to remain unclear until the summer with no talks over a new contract planned before the end of the season. The

Callum Hudson-Odoi's Chelsea future is set to remain unclear until the summer with no talks over a new contract planned before the end of the season.

The England winger will run into the final year of his current deal in the summer and there have been no suggestions as yet that he will extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, having attempted to force a move to Bayern Munich in January.

Chelsea are offering Callum Hudson-Odoi a new £100,000-a-week deal... but the only way to really show they value him is to put him in the starting line up at Cardiff on Sunday.

— Dean Jones (@DeanJonesSoccer) March 29, 2019

Chelsea held firm in their desire to keep their brightest young prospect at the club but, according to the Daily Mail, the Blues have not held talks with Hudson-Odoi's family since Bayern made their final £35m bid ahead of the transfer deadline in January.

The 18-year-old was handed his first senior start for England during the Three Lions' recent victory over Montenegro, and Manchester United are expected to join Bayern Munich in the race to sign the forward ahead of the summer transfer window.

With no talks set to take place over extending Hudson-Odoi's contract in west London until the end of the season, Chelsea are set to face a dilemma over how best to handle his situation.

Sarri asked if he's tempted to start Hudson-Odoi vs Cardiff: "We have to play eight matches in 28 days. I'm sure Callum will start two, three matches" #cfc

— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) March 29, 2019

Should the youngster fail to commit his future to the Blues, as appears most likely, Maurizio Sarri's side would be forced to decide whether to cash in on their promising attacker or risk losing him for nothing more than a compensation fee at the end of his contract in 2020.

Chelsea are expected to increase their offer of a new contract to a deal worth £100,000-per-week when talks resume in the summer, though Hudson-Odoi has made it clear that he is more concerned by playing time than money in deciding his next move.

The wide man has made just six Premier League appearances under Sarri this term, though he has featured more regularly in the Europa League, in which he has played eight games and scored four goals.

Marc Atkins/GettyImages

Despite Hudson-Odoi's future at Chelsea clearly hinging on the amount of playing time that he receives, Sarri has offered little encouragement that opportunities will increase for the youngster any time soon.

The Chelsea boss claimed that it was easier for England boss Gareth Southgate to start rising stars such as Hudson-Odoi than it is for managers of Premier League clubs, with the forward yet to start a game in the top flight.

Cardiff v Chelsea... COME ON YOU BLUES! 🙌#CARCHE pic.twitter.com/wpH3U9kzMD

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 31, 2019

The situation is further complicated by the Blues' transfer ban, which means that Chelsea will not be able to sign new players in either of the next two transfer windows and would therefore be unable to replace one of their hottest properties should they opt to sell Hudson-Odoi.