Fulham are "pushing" to reach an agreement with Chelsea for Callum Hudson-Odoi and they're in pole position, according to reports this week.
Who will Fulham sign?
As we enter the latter stages of this summer transfer window, Marco Silva's side appear to finally be getting busy after being linked with a plethora of targets.
The west Londoners are chasing the signing of a star centre-back, leading to their talks for both Calvin Bassey from Ajax and Southampton's Mohammed Salisu.
The former is apparently Fulham's first choice and talks are at an advanced stage to sign the ex-Rangers star, according to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Meanwhile, the Whites have also signed Mexico international striker Raul Jimenez from Wolves, coming as Fulham's star forward from last season, Aleksandar Mitrovic, pushes for a move away.
"It's not the ideal situation, I have to tell you," said Silva on Mitrovic's possible move to Saudi Arabia.
"Not because he received an offer, it's the situation about himself. As you know, he's not going to play tomorrow, he didn't play last Wednesday.
"He's not working properly with his team mates and when I say this is not the ideal scenario, this is the situation."
Amid talks for new forwards and new defenders, it appears Fulham's preparations for the 2023/2024 season are formally underway. Silva's side have also been seriously linked with a move to sign Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea, who spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen.
The winger is surplus-to-requirement at Chelsea, and it is their London rivals Fulham who are in "pole position" to sign him.
That is according to The Guardian and reliable journalist Jacob Steinberg, who writes that Fulham are "pushing" to seal a move for the forward this summer.
"Fulham are pushing to complete a deal for Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi," Steinberg wrote.
"Lazio are interested in the winger, who has a year left on a deal worth about £120,000 a week, but Fulham remain in pole position.
"The 22-year-old is keen on moving to Craven Cottage and is waiting for Fulham to agree a fee. Hudson-Odoi, who spent last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, has been training with Chelsea’s Under-21s.
"Fulham had their opening offer for Hudson-Odoi turned down last week and are looking for a compromise on a fee. Chelsea want to sell and are asking for about £8m, whereas Fulham have looked at paying £4m. Hudson-Odoi would compete with Willian for a place on the left wing at Fulham."
How good is Callum Hudson-Odoi?
Hudson-Odoi was tipped for the big time by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard back in 2019, who called him an "incredible" player at the time whilst predicting he could be "huge".
Now, Mauricio Pochettino's side want to sell the attacker – so much so they're very open to doing business with a west London rival.
While this doesn't give a great indication of his quality, members of the media did heap praise on Hudson-Odoi just last year.
FourFourTwo writer Mark White, taking to Twitter, called him a "special" player – all while highlighting the 22-year-old's "unbelievable vision" and "sheer mentality" in the final third.