According to a report in Spanish publication ABC, Martin Odegaard is keen on a return to Arsenal with the Gunners on the verge of making a formal offer for him.
The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates club. During his brief stint at the club, the midfielder managed to impress Mikel Arteta with his technical abilities. The Norwegian was reportedly the top priority for the north Londoners.
Odegaard was expected to stay and fight for his place at Real Madrid. However, uncertainty over his future has grown in recent days, after not being included in the 21-man squad for the Los Blancos’ season opener against Alaves.
As per ABC, Arsenal have been in contact with the Spanish giants to sign Martin Odegaard. Real Madrid are expecting £50m for the youngster, but the Gunners are reportedly willing to pay around £30m and if that doesn’t work out they will ask for a loan move.
Express are claiming that Odegaard’s agent is expected to travel to London for further negotiations with the club. They are also claiming that any loan move will include an option of first refusal next summer.
Arsenal Fever View:
The north London club suffered an embarrassing loss in their season opener against Brentford. This result has underlined the need for more signings. Bolstering the midfield should be Mikel Arteta’s primary objective in this transfer window. The team lacked goal contribution from midfield and relied on the forwards to create goal-scoring opportunities.
The Norway captain has the ability to make defense splitting passes and can also score some vital goals. This was pretty evident during his loan spell last season. Despite his injury woes, he managed to make four-goal contributions in 20 appearances.
The Real Madrid man and Emile Smith Rowe can have healthy competition for a place in the starting lineup. This will only elevate the game of both the youngsters and will prove to be a positive selection headache for Arteta.
Signing Odegaard is a massive step in the right direction for Arsenal. He is just 22-years-old with plenty of potential. He could be the missing link between attack and midfield. The youngster is already familiar with the club’s style of play and can hit the ground running from his first game.
Read More: Arsenal confident that Granit Xhaka will sign a new contract, claims Journalist
