The latest word stemming from the Spanish media has pointed towards a frankly outlandish Real Madrid asking price for Martin Odegaard.
Gunners switch
Norwegian creator Odegaard was of course once viewed as the next up and coming star of European football.
After returning to parent club Real on the back of an impressive loan stint with La Liga rivals Real Sociedad last season, however, the 22-year-old majorly struggled for game-time.
In fact, over the opening half of the Spanish top-flight campaign, Odegaard was afforded a paltry 3 starts.
In turn, it came as little surprise to see another temporary departure from the Bernabeu widely touted upon the opening of the January transfer window, with Arsenal, in the end, having beaten out all competition to clinch a deal.
Odegaard made the move to the Emirates for the remainder of the campaign, to alleviate some of the creative burden on the shoulders of the young Emile Smith Rowe:
👋 Welcome to The Arsenal, Martin Odegaard! 🇳🇴
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 27, 2021
Bernabeu return?
Arsenal’s latest midfield addition has since gone on to to feature on 5 occasions, including from the off versus all of Leeds, Benfica and Manchester City over the course of the last week.
And the Norwegian, for the most part, has impressed, adding some much-needed guile to the Gunners’ ranks in the middle of the park.
In turn, murmurs have already begun to spread in the media regarding the possibility of Edu and co. carving out a permanent deal for Odegaard, with a future in north London beyond the summer seemingly not out of the question.
Martin Odegaard during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad, corresponding to the week 27 of the Liga Santander, played at the Camp Nou Stadium, on 07th March 2020, in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)
As outlined above, however, if the board at the Emirates have genuine hopes of tying the 22-year-old down long-term, it sounds as though they will need to stump up.
This comes amid claims that Real Madrid are ready to demand a massive fee to part with their on-loan midfielder.
As per a report from Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Arsenal are indeed keen to land Odegaard on a permanent basis.
However, the Bernabeu hierarchy are not convinced of a sale at this moment in time. The Norwegian international, despite his struggles in the Spanish capital, remains held in high regarded by Zinedine Zidane and co.
In turn, they are only expected to open the door to a permanent exit for Odegaard in the case that an offer somewhere in the region of €70 – 80 million is forthcoming.
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