Premier League star forced to DENY 'absurd' claims part of Epstein scandal

A furious Callum Hudson-Odoi has bizarrely been forced to address – and deny – claims on social media that he was a part of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The 23-year-old Nottingham Forest star took to Instagram on Thursday to clarify that he has never been associated with Epstein after a list circulating online claimed he and many other celebrities had visited the pedophile's private island.

Hudson-Odoi's statement comes after the news that a list of disgraced financier Epstein's associates from court filings is set to be made public in the first few days of 2024.

It has led to people to speculate online as to who will be named in the files, with Twitter users publishing a list – including former Chelsea star Hudson-Odoi and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta – of those claiming to be linked with Epstein.

However, the list is actually the names of celebrities who contracted Covid-19 early in the pandemic in 2020, with Hudson-Odoi and Arteta some of the first big-name sportsmen to contract the virus.

After being linked with Epstein, Hudson-Odoi wrote on Instagram: 'I have seen this circulating around social media for a while now, and I wasn't going to comment on it as it is absurd (and I would've been a child at the time); however, understanding my position as a role model, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I have never been part of the Epstein scandal nor have l ever been to Epstein island; so please stop tagging me in these posts. Thank you.'

The identities of dozens of well-known figures linked to Epstein have been revealed in court papers unsealed in the US overnight.

The files are part of a defamation case brought against Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in jail for sex trafficking underage