Martin Odegaard is close to leaving on loan to Arsenal. As AS has learned, the Norwegian has given the OK to the operation and now it is Real Madrid and the London club who are negotiating. If it is closed, it will be a loan of only six months and without a purchase option. In addition, the madridistas also hope to make some money.
Arteta's interest has been decisive in convincing Odegaard, who initially valued the option of returning to the Royal Society. In Madrid he never finished convincing this option. They prefer that he go abroad and not compete against them, since the Donostiarras are seven points away in the league and are one of the teams that will fight for the first places.
The operation is pending the two clubs agree. If that happens, it may be a matter of hours because the player has already given the go-ahead. Therefore, Odegaard is close to leaving Arsenal but the deal is not closed. The economic aspects between both teams remain to be discussed and that, with the current crisis, is saying a lot. In any case, if everything goes well, it may be a matter of hours. Proof of this is the fact that the Norwegian did not train this morning with his teammates, despite the fact that he is not injured. He is waiting for his exit to close.
Return to the Real
The option that Martin Odegaard return to San Sebastián is moving away. The Norwegian player's agents have also made the effort to take him to England, as suspected by the San Sebastian club.
The contacts between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid have taken place in the last hours, to know first-hand the real options of Odegaard returning to San Sebastián. There have been no concrete negotiations, and a real option that his return could take place may not have existed either. It has not been close to closing at any time. But there have been fluid conversations. Now, the reality is that the white club has not accepted any of the proposals that the San Sebastian club has put on the table in the conversations held. La Real came to propose the possibility of a purchase option, but Real Madrid has never considered that possibility. And the other option that the transfer could be extended beyond June this year, that is, the remainder of the season and the following campaign, is not something that the white club contemplated either.
In the Real they understand that since Florentino Pérez accepted the transfer of Odegaard, after consulting with Zidane, he only had in mind to give him these five months that remain of competition so that he returned to Real Madrid in the summer. And that possibility has been considered and studied in the Anoeta offices, but they wanted to achieve something more, because economically the transfer has an affordable but high cost (last year's loan from the Norwegian amounted to around 4 million euros). The other club that has pushed hard for the loan of Odegaard has been Arsenal, with whom Real Madrid have held talks at the same time. Also the Ajax of Amsterdam has requested the cession of Odegaard, according to has been able to know the newspaper AS. The 'gunner' club has accepted at all times the idea that the Norwegian plays on loan only until the end of the season without any type of purchase option, something that Real Madrid has logically liked. Contacts between the two clubs are on the right track and right now Odegaard is closer to Arsenal than to be able to return to Real, despite the fact that his preference was to play in San Sebastián rather than in London.
In the conversations they have had at Real with Real Madrid, the white club has come to convey to them that it is true that Martin Odegaard, once communicated his desire to leave on loan, had told them that his preference was to return on loan. to Real, but even if that was his first option, the Norwegian did not have the last word, as he did this past summer when Zidane called him to go back to Real Madrid. At Real Sociedad, they believe that the agents and the people who advise the Drammen footballer have forced him to agree to go on loan to Arsenal before any other destination, and they have wanted the option of England to be made ahead of others such as Real or Ajax. In San Sebastián they begin to understand that the dream of enjoying Odegaard again is disappearing, and that therefore the option of joining two stars like the Norwegian and David Silva is moving away.