Arsenal have been told by Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid that if they want to get midfielder Martin Odegaard, they should be prepared to let go of Emile Smith-Rowe in return, according to reports coming from various sources. Odegaard’s fantastic season at Arsenal last season has made the London club establish a serious interest in signing the Norwegian international midfielder on a permanent basis. Their quest to sign the 23-year-old has made them open talks with Madrid over a possible transfer since before the end of the last season, but both clubs have not been able to reach an agreement.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a huge admirer of Odegaard and the Spanish boss has previously made it public that the club are interested in retaining the services of the young midfielder and that they will also open talks for him in the near future. However, following the stalling in the talks between the two clubs, Madrid seem to have brought up a new idea to facilitate negotiations between the two European sides.
Madrid’s new manager Carlo Ancelotti is said to be keen to work with Odegaard as he wants to give the midfielder a chance to prove himself, making it even harder for Arsenal to reach an agreement with the Madrid giants. However, according to the request made by the runners up in the title race in last season’s La Liga campaign, Arsenal should be ready to lose one of their star players for Real Madrid to let go of one of their own.