Arsenal 'keeping close tabs on Odegaard with Norwegian unsettled at Real Madrid'

Published on: 29 July 2021

Arsenal are still in the hunt for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard this summer with the Norwegian reportedly unsettled back in the Spanish capital.

Odegaard impressed during his spell at the Emirates last season, and Mikel Arteta was hoping to have extended the attacking midfielder's stay in London before he eventually moved back to Madrid after his loan deal expired.

But according to Sky Sports, they haven't given up hope of signing Odegaard and are monitoring his situation closely after he returned to Madrid to fight for a place in the first-team under Carlo Ancelotti.

There are doubts over Odegaard's chances in the first-team at Madrid, and Arsenal will be hoping to capitalise.

Spanish publication Cadena SER have also reported that Norway's 22-year-old captain is reportedly unsettled at Madrid.

The report claims Odegaard has looked 'disconnected' with his team-mates during pre-season and that he isn't 100 per cent happy in Madrid and is considering his options - with a return to Arsenal still on the cards.

Odegaard was brought in on loan for the second half of last season by Arteta to help unleash Arsenal's faltering attack during what was a turbulent campaign.

Odegaard started off very brightly only for an ankle injury to slightly dampen his time in north London - before it was too late for him to make a real impact right at the end of the season.

The Norwegian scored two times and created two assists in 20 matches for the Gunners, but his play in the build-up, work rate and leadership certainly stood out too.

While the Gunners are keen to bring back Odegaard, they are also very interested in Leicester midfielder James Maddison.

But a move for Maddison appears a very difficult deal to get done right now with Leicester wanting a hefty sum for their playmaker, who featured during his side's friendly defeat against Wycombe on Wednesday night.

Sportsmail reported last week that at this stage, £50million would not be enough to bring Leicester to the table.

However, Arsenal would allow a fringe player – such as winger Reiss Nelson – to move in the opposite direction to sweeten the deal.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who Leicester looked at last January, is another player available for transfer.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

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