Arsenal are hoping to keep Martin Odegaard beyond this season from Real Madrid.
The Norwegian has come into form since joining the Gunners on loan.
While he is held in high regards by the Galacticos hierarchy, Zinedine Zidane does not necessarily favour him in his starting XI. After just a few cameo appearances, Odegaard was dropped from the line up and then shipped out in the middle of the campaign.
Even he is enjoying life in North London, scoring twice against Olympiacos and Tottenham Hotspur before putting in a winning performance against West Ham. Former Gunner, Paul Merson even urged the club to stop playing Odegaard so that his value does not rise ahead of the summer and they have a easier time signing him.
“Martin Odegaard looks a really good player and I hope Arsenal have a chance of signing him permanently,” the Arsenal legend wrote in Daily Star.
“Because if they don’t have a chance of making his loan permanent next season, why is he playing? If they know he doesn’t want to stay, he shouldn’t be playing because he’s taking opportunities away from people like Emile Smith Rowe.
“So I hope Arsenal have done their homework and know what the situation is – I’d be disappointed if they haven’t already made a bid to be honest!
“It took him a while to adjust but you have to give him the ball. He gets into lots of good positions, and to start with his team-mates weren’t seeing him. They weren’t giving him the ball. But now he’s getting it more often and he’s making things happen. He can hurt opposing teams.
“It’s almost a free role and for someone so young to be trusted with such a difficult position at such a young age is a big deal.
“But if he’s okay after his injury and he helps Arsenal win the Europa League, Real Madrid will probably want him back – or add a lot more money to his asking price.”
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