Callum Hudson-Odoi could have edged closer to a Chelsea exit on Sunday - putting Liverpool , Manchester United , Barcelona and Bayern Munich on high alert.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri came under fire from fans after he left Hudson-Odoi on the bench for his side's 2-1 win at Cardiff on Sunday.
The snub came despite the 18-year-old having impressed on his first start for England in their 5-1 Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Montenegro last Monday .
Sarri has continued to overlook youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi despite growing calls to give him his first Premier League start.
Interest in the forward has grown in recent weeks as he has continued to be frustrated by a lack of opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
According to German outlet Kicker, Liverpool have already made contact over the 18-year-old .
He has also been linked with Manchester United and Barcelona, while Bayern Munich attempted to sign him in January but had a £35m bid knocked back.
Hudson-Odoi could be tempted to follow the trail blazed by pal Jadon Sancho , who left Manchester City and is now starring for Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea are reluctant to lose the 18-year-old as they face the prospect of a two-window transfer ban imposed by FIFA for irregularities in the market.
But ex-Liverpool star Jamie Carragher says if Sarri wants to keep him, he's going the wrong way about it .
Ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Cardiff , Sarri made the unusual admission that he didn’t watch much of Hudson-Odoi's England debut.
And Carragher said on Sky Sports: “My big problem with what Sarri said about Hudson-Odoi – and it really wound me up because I put myself in that lad’s position – was when he said ‘I only watched 20 minutes of that game and the 20 minutes I did watch, he didn’t even play that well’.
“This is a lad who is making his international debut. Why are you not watching the full game? You could argue he’s watching a load of his other Chelsea team-mates, flicking the channels, whatever. You don’t need to watch them. They’re all 27, 28, 29… this is a young kid. Can he handle the spotlight of playing for England?
“This is a lad I’m trying to keep at my club. So to then just dismiss this lad’s international debut, which is probably the biggest thing that’s ever happened to him as a footballer at a young age, to just dismiss it and say the 20 minutes I did watch he didn’t even play well.
“I could imagine people above Sarri shaking their heads and thinking, ‘Why did you say such a stupid thing in a press conference? We are trying to get this lad to sign a contract!’
“If he hasn’t watched it and he doesn’t think he’s played well, be clever and use your brain - don't say it. Say you did watch it. Give the lad a bit of a gee up. To dismiss someone’s international debut, I thought it was an absolutely stupid thing to say.”