Premier League star, 23, is forced to DENY 'absurd' claims he was part of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal after a list of the names of those who visited the pedophile's private island turns out to be a celebrity log who got Covid in 2020

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

The 23-year-old Nottingham Forest star made it clear on Instagram on Thursday that he has never been linked to 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 news that a list of financier Epstein's disgraced associates from court files will be made public in the first few days of 2024.

It has led to people speculating online about who will be named in the files, with Twitter users publishing a list of those claiming to be linked to Epstein.

However, the list in question actually consists of the names of celebrities who contracted Covid-19 early in the 2020 pandemic, with Hudson-Odoi being one of the first athletes to contract the virus in 2020.

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

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

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

The files are part of a defamation lawsuit filed against Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for trafficking underage girls to him.

Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's powerful friends and acquaintances will be exposed as part of a massive exposé ordered by a judge just before the new year

She was sued by Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with the Duke of York three times in 2001, when she was 17. The Duke strongly denies this.

High-profile people such as Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Al Gore, Kevin Spacey and Stephen Hawking were all included in the evidence.

Actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz and Bruce Willis are present along with model Naomi Campbell.

None have been charged with any involvement in Epstein's crimes, but Epstein was an namesake, Johanna Sjoberg claimed in evidence released overnight. Ms. Sjoberg was clear that she had never met them.

Also mentioned are the late physicist Stephen Hawking and magician David Copperfield.

Some of the people mentioned during the night were Epstein's associates, friends or victims. But the vast majority were cited as evidence by witnesses who said they had no ties to the pedophile at all – or had not seen them in his many homes.

The identities of more than 170 people will now be made public following an order from a US judge last month, with the first batch of documents released last night.

They will be released on a rolling basis this week. However, mentioning a name does not necessarily mean they have been accused of any wrongdoing, with some names simply given to witnesses who denied meeting them.

Hudson-Odoi left Chelsea earlier this season after failing to break into the first team while on loan at Bayer Leverkusen last season.

To date, Hudson-Odoi has made 12 appearances in all competitions for Forest, 11 of which have been in the Premier League. He has a goal and an assist to his name this campaign.

Hudson-Odoi scored 16 goals in 126 appearances for the Blues and picked up three England caps.