According to reports in several major publications, a trio of Premier League giants have formed a queue to sign Danish 20-year-old international Martin Odegaard. The clubs in question, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, would have to fork out a sum in the region of £60million if they were to prize the young attacking-midfielder away from his current club Real Madrid.
Despite being under contract with Los Blancos, Odegaard is spending the 2019/20 campaign with fellow La Liga side Real Sociedad. In his temporary Basque home, Odegaard appears to have revitalised his career following a string of impressive performances that have lifted Real Sociedad two within one point of a top-four place with eight games played. His current successes are a far cry from his experience at the Bernabeu – Odegaard appeared just twice for Real Madrid in his four-and-a-half years for the club.
Once regarded as one of the most promising young talents in world football, Odegaard arrived in Spain to rapturous fanfare. In 2015 he became Real Madrid’s youngest ever debutant aged just 16 years and 157 days. An eye for a lacerating pass and his rollercoaster pace earned him comparisons to, amongst others, David Silva and Lionel Messi. However, since then, his career has plateaued and he has spent each of the last three seasons on loan in the Netherlands’ Eredivisie.
But now, thanks to his excellent early-season form, Odegaard is back in the frame for a big-money move. One potential obstacle which Arsenal or either Manchester club might have to overcome, however, is Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane – who oversaw Odegaard’s development during his time in charge of their Castilla (‘B’) team – bringing him back into the fold at the prestigious Spanish club.
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