Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 09:06• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 09:15

Arsenal will again have Martin Odegaard at their disposal, Fabrizio Romano assures. The 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, who has already played on a rental basis in North London for the past six months, is now making the definitive switch. Ödegaard has already personally reached an agreement and is awaiting the final details. As soon as those folds have been ironed out, the Norwegian international will sign a contract until mid-2026.

It’s no secret that Mikel Arteta bet on a quality midfielder injection this summer. The manager briefly hinted at Maddison from Leicester City, but is now harking back to an important strength from the past second half of the season. Negotiations with Real will soon be concluded after Arsenal increased the pressure considerably in recent days, also know the Guardian. Ödegaard, who still has a contract with Real until mid-2023, was left out of the selection on Saturday against Deportivo Alavés (1-4 win) by trainer Carlo Ancelotti.

It is clear that Odegaard has already reached an agreement on personal terms for a contract until 2026. The midfielder has left a reasonable impression since the winter and made fourteen appearances in the Premier League, nine of which as a starting player. In it, the Norwegian managed to score once. In total, he made twenty appearances in all competitions. His stay in Madrid has been a lot more disappointing so far, as he has only made eight appearances in LaLiga since his arrival in 2015 as a top 16-year-old talent. Odegaard was mainly part of Real Madrid Castilla.

Odegaard’s imminent arrival at Arsenal cannot be separated from the sale of Joe Willock. The midfielder was worn out at Newcastle United last week and brought in the necessary financial resources. Earlier, with the arrival of Ben White, another big fish was caught at Brighton and Hove Albion for a sloppy sixty million euros. The North London club is not yet ready for the transfer market, however, as Arteta still hopes to pluck goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United for a lot of money.