Arsenal are on the verge of completing the capture of Real Madrid starlet Martin Odegaard, who is expected to cost around €50 million.
According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, Martin Odegaard’s long-running transfer saga could soon come to an end as Real Madrid brace themselves for his departure. The talented playmaker has made his decision to leave Santiago Bernabeu, handing in a transfer request.
Madrid are expected to offload him once any interested party matches their €50 million asking fee. Arsenal appear to be in the front row, having agreed to meet their valuation, which means Odegaard’s move to Emirates Stadium this summer could be imminent.
The Norwegian’s potential arrival should be a massive boost for an Arsenal side that lacked any sort of creativity in their opening Premier League against Brentford, causing an uproar on Twitter, with celebrity supporter Piers Morgan lambasting Mikel Arteta.
Odegaard’s presence in the team should go a long way in helping Arsenal fill that creative void in the side. It should solve one of their key issues, especially with the club struggling to land their other top targets including James Maddison.
For Real Madrid, though, the departure of the talented playmaker could lead to further worries about the team’s overall depth. After signing David Alaba in early summer, the Spanish giants are yet to make any moves in the market.
Instead, Los Blancos have sanctioned the departure of Brahim Diaz and Takefusa Kubo, leaving them very thin in the creative unit. The ageless wonder Luka Modric has continued to deliver the goods, but the steady decline of Isco, coupled with Marco Asensio’s fitness issues leave Real Madrid quite vulnerable.
Odegaard himself, on the other hand, would relish the opportunity to play for Arsenal yet again after his promising six-month stint last season. He had featured in 20 competitive appearances for the Gunners, and despite scoring just two goals, he had established himself as a vital creative outlet in Arteta’s tactical setup.
Subject to the completion of Odegaard’s transfer, it now remains to be seen whether Arsenal make any more moves in the market. The performance against Brentford has rung several alarm bells already, so it won’t be surprising to see the Gunners entering the market once again in a desperate attempt to add further quality to the team.
