Martin Odegaard's transfer dreams are in jeopardy as Zinedine Zidane makes his choice.
Arsenal are seeking to make Martin Odegaard's move permanent this summer, and major news from Spain might have an influence on their plans.
JoriPress
With Zinedine Zidane's huge decision, Arsenal's prospects of keeping Martin Odegaard beyond this summer are in jeopardy.
Zidane has already chosen to leave Real Madrid, according to many publications, including the Guardian. He has been in charge since taking over for the second time in 2019.
Zidane did not win any hardware this season, despite taking the La Liga championship fight all the way to the final day before falling short, but he has enough of credit to his name after winning three Champions League crowns.
Despite this, it appears that Zidane has already chosen to leave Real Madrid, telling his players that he would not be their manager next season.
On the surface, Arsenal appear unconcerned by the decision, but they are anxious to recruit Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard on a long-term contract ahead of next season.
Despite Arsenal's poor season, in which they missed out on European football and lost in the Europa League semi-final to eventual champions Villarreal, Odegaard joined the Gunners on a loan move late in January and has impressed since.
The difficulty is that Real Madrid is believed to see Odegaard as a "essential element" of their future, despite reports that he might be sold to raise funds due to financial difficulties.
Arsenal might also try to bring the Norwegian back on loan, as they did with Dani Ceballos earlier this season, and that hope may be revived now that Luka Modric has signed a new contract with Real Madrid.
Much will now rely on what happens at the Santiago Bernabeu if Zidane does really go as predicted, with Odegaard's future likely to be decided by the new manager.
Former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is the bookies' favourite for the post, although Los Blancos veteran Raul is also a strong contender.
Time will tell what this means for Arsenal's Odegaard bid, but it appears to be terrible news for the Norwegian, who is expected to be handed a fresh start in the Spanish capital this summer.
Odegaard and Zidane did not always see eye to eye on playing time, and the Frenchman's exit was always going to be terrible news for the Gunners.
