Ødegaard has struggled for game time at Real Madrid this season
Arsenal are one of the clubs currently in talks with Real Madrid over a possible loan move for midfielder Martin Ødegaard, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
They face competition from LaLiga side Real Sociedad, who had Ødegaard on loan for the 2019-20 season.
The Norwegian playmaker was initially in line to spend this season on loan at Real Socieded as well, before Madrid recalled him from the two year loan.
But despite reports that Zinedine Zidane had intended to bed him into the side as a long term replacement for the ageing Luka Modric, Ødegaard has made just seven league appearances for Los Blancos this season.
The 22-year-old has handed in a transfer request and reports indicate his preferred destination is a return to San Sebastian, where he knows he is valued and will play.
The Athletic report that Arsenal’s technical director Edu started talks with Madrid last week, before Sociedad came into the picture.
Arsenal’s creative burden is currently being shouldered by Emile Smith Rowe, who has slotted into the number 10 role impressively over the past few weeks, picking up five assists and two goals in 10 matches.
No player has provided more assists for Arsenal this season than 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe 🔥
Is he the playmaker that the Gunners have been missing since prime Mesut Özil? pic.twitter.com/NZvbRihkHm
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 19, 2021
But the north London club are wary of relying on the youngster too much, and would like to bring in another creative midfielder.
The Premier League’s rules around loan moves stipulate that a Premier League club cannot loan more than one player from the same club at the same time, but those rules do not apply to foreign clubs. So, in theory, Arsenal could bring Ødegaard in without it affecting Dani Ceballos’ spell at the club.
Ødegaard first joined Real Madrid as a 16-year-old and attracted criticism for wanting to train with the first team immediately, but having shown his quality on various loan spells at Vitesse and Sociedad, he has no intention of wasting his early 20s sitting on the bench.
