Arsenal could suffer a major blow in the coming transfer windows if their captain Martin Odegaard is targeted by another club with his his former club Real Madrid then likely to join the race. The attacking midfielder joined Arsenal permanently for £34million plus add-ons in the summer of 2021 after enjoying a fruitful six-month loan spell in north London.
After being touted as the next big thing coming through at Los Blancos, Odegaard struggled to have a significant in impact in the Spanish capital after joining Real Madrid Castilla, the club's reserve team, when he was 18.
Several loan spells followed but Real eventually made the decision to sell Odegaard to the Gunners. Since his permanent arrival, the 24-year-old has enjoyed an excellent 14 months, which included becoming first-team captain less than a year after joining.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Mykhaylo Mudryk reality gives Edu a chance at ideal £31m transfer steal
Odegaard has taken his game to the next level this season though, scoring six goals and grabbing four assists from 14 Premier League games, with Arsenal sitting five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Two of those 10 goal contributions came as assists in the Gunners' Premier League return on Boxing Day against West Ham with Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah benefitting from their captain's vision.
Mikel Arteta's preferred play style relies heavily on the role played by Odegaard and he is set to be a crucial player in the Spaniard's five-step plan at the club. However, his future could lie elsewhere following a recent claim that Madrid cleverly inserted a first refusal clause into the contract he signed when leaving Spain for England.
According to Marca, Madrid have first refusal on Odegaard, which means they will be informed of any deal that the selling club is willing to accept for the transfer of a player, after inserting the clause into his contract when he joined Arsenal.
A return to the club he joined as a teenager seems unlikely, but given his rapid turnaround in form, Carlo Ancelotti's side could make a transfer swoop if noted another team are interested with the report also stating they hope to exercise this clause should he wish to return to Spain.
READ NEXT:
Arsenal's Mykhaylo Mudryk reality gives Edu a chance at ideal £31m transfer steal
Mikel Arteta to face dilemma over best Arsenal line-up if Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk sign
Arsenal transfer news: Mykhaylo Mudryk talks continue as Edu sent new Alexis Mac Allister update
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Arsenal stars can return against Brighton as William Saliba risk remains
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: The latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
