According to the Times, Bayern Munich have reached an impasse in their attempts to cajole Callum Hudson-Odoi away from Chelsea, as the Blues have drawn a hard line on the inclusion of a buyback clause, which the German giants are diametrically opposed to.
Notebook: Chelsea’s negotiations with Bayern over Hudson-Odoi are being complicated by their demand for a buy-back clause for the 18-year-old, to which the German champions are reluctant to agree. By @MattHughesTimes #CFC https://t.co/x5r1076IIX
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) January 11, 2019
Could Chelsea be learning from past mistakes? The Blues prioritised getting the most money out of deals for players such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah (and even players like Thorgan Hazard and possibly Bertrand Traore and Nathaniel Chalobah as well), instead of insisting on buyback clauses, as has been the policy of clubs such as Real Madrid or Barcelona on many occasions — just another example of Chelsea’s short-term thinking over long-term planning.
While ideally the plan remains for Hudson-Odoi to stay with Chelsea and sign his contract extension, if the worst comes to worst, hopefully Chelsea remain firm on the inclusion of a buyback clause.