Arsenal are close to securing a permanent deal for the signing of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid. The Gunners have been in search of a playmaker and it appears the Norwegian might be the one to fill in that void. It comes after Arsenal already sold Joe Willock to Newcastle this summer, with the hopes that another attacking addition was going to come in as his replacement. Arsenal also showed strong interest in Leicester City’s James Maddison and Lyon’s Houssem Aouar but it appears the club have now settled for Odegaard.
Arsenal finally land an attacker
Odegaard enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with the Gunners last season where he impressed on a six-month deal, scoring two goals in that time.
After he returned to parent club Real Madrid, thea was that he won’t be sold by Los Blancos but their stance soon changed.
The Athletic reports that Arsenal and Real Madrid are now in advanced talks for Odegaard, with the fee believed to be around €35m. The 22-year-old will join the Gunners on a six-year deal until 2026 and no buyback clause is included in the deal.
The deal is yet to be finalized but is already in the advanced stages and is expected to be seen over the line. In fact, the report further claims that Arsenal are hoping to sign the player as soon as possible in a bid to get him fit in time to play a part in their crunch Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday.
It is reported that Odegaard trained alone away from teammates on Tuesday, an indication he could indeed be closing in on an exit from the club.
Is Odegaard what Arsenal needed?
The signing of Odegaard is one that will surely bring much debate, given that Maddison was reportedly available for sale for the right price. Leicester City were reportedly holding out for an €82m fee to sell the English international. Given that Odegaard is much younger and will also cost way less, some are of the opinion that it is a bargain but at €35m.
On the other hand, Arsenal need players that will significantly improve the XI and some see Odegaard as a future prospect and not as an established name that can immediately bring positive fortunes on the pitch.
Speaking of further additions, we recently reported that Arsenal’s pursuit of Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale broke down. However, it appears a move might be on the cards once again.
Reports are nowng to hint that Sheffield could lower their demands to see a move happen and it could yet see both sides come to an agreement. As always, we’ll be here to give an update whenever there’s one.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
