Mikel Arteta provides update on potential permanent signing of Martin Odegaard
By Tom Gott
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that he plans to speak to Real Madrid over a permanent deal for on-loan midfielder Martin Odegaard.
With Arsenal's season now over, the Norway international is currently set to return to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he remains under contract for another two seasons.
It was a productive loan spell for both Arsenal and Odegaard, with the 22-year-old managing two goals and two assists in 20 appearances for the Gunners, and now Arteta has confirmed his desire to see Odegaard add to that over the coming years.
"We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we’d like to do," he told reporters (via Goal). "He’s not our player, we will have discussions in the next few weeks. We respect he’s a Real Madrid player and will have those communications.
"We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done, and he’s adapted really well to our way of playing and our football club.
"Hopefully, we have given him the hope and the feeling that this could be a good place for him here."
There have been a lot of mixed reports over Real's plans for Odegaard this summer. Some have suggested he could be up for sale to raise money for a big shopping spree, while others claim Odegaard is non-transferrable as club officials still believe in his potential.
Things may hinge on the future of Real manager Zinedine Zidane, with whom Odegaard has never seen eye to eye. If the Frenchman stays, Odegaard could push for an exit, although the signs suggest Zidane could be on his way out of the Bernabeu this summer.
Arsenal hope to convince Real to part ways with Odegaard, but one player they are not interested in is fellow Real man Dani Ceballos, whose own loan spell at the Emirates has come to an end as well.
After two years with Arsenal, Ceballos is set to return to Spain as the Gunners have decided they do not want to bring him back on either a loan or permanent deal.