Arsenal to explore permanent deal for Martin Odegaard
By Tom Gott
Arsenal are keen to keep Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard at the club next season and are prepared to pursue a permanent deal for the Norwegian in the summer.
The 22-year-old, who managed just nine appearances for Real in the first half of the campaign, has impressed since moving to the Emirates Stadium in January. He has already managed more appearances for Arsenal and bagged his first Premier League goal in the derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Odegaard has quickly become a regular starter under Mikel Arteta, who has started the midfielder in four of the last five Premier League games, and according to the Daily Mail, the Spaniard has been very impressed with what he has seen.
His form has convinced Arteta that Odegaard would be a good player to keep around beyond the end of the season, so Arsenal are prepared to sit down with Real this summer to talk about their options.
Ideally, Arsenal would like a permanent deal, but they would not turn down the chance to bring Odegaard back on another 12-month loan - just as they did with Dani Ceballos last summer.
As always, any transfer is expected to come down to money. Arsenal may not have the required funds if they fail to even qualify for the Europa League, and Real aren't going to agree to sell Odegaard on the cheap.
The Mail's report states that Real would be open to letting Odegaard go as part of their attempts to raise money to sign Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe, although Defensa Central recently stated that Real chiefs still see him as a core part of their future.
Odegaard has regularly teased the idea of staying with Arsenal, but he recently admitted to VG that his sole priority is finding stability somewhere after so many years of uncertainty.
“I said many times that I’ve been looking for stability, but haven’t found it. I think it’ll be important to find stability. I’m very happy at Arsenal, enjoying myself. I like it here. Now my focus is to finish the season, then we’ll see.”
Odegaard is under contract at Real until 2023, so this summer would represent their last chance to sell the Norway captain for his full value.