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Chris Davison

Real Madrid plot Martin Odegaard revenge on Arsenal with £41.6m move for Mikel Arteta target

Arsenal's £30 million masterstroke with Martin Odegaard's signing is easily turning out to be one of the best deals at the club for some time.

Despite a rather slow start to life in north London after joining on loan last season, the Norwegian has come on in leaps and bounds since making the switch permanent in the summer of last year.

Becoming a pivotal part of Mikel Arteta's developing young side, many fans now view Odegaard as undroppable after an impressive run of form.

The former Real Madrid star's numbers for goal contributions may not seem groundbreaking at the moment, with four goals and four assists across 26 appearances in all competitions this season, but his success goes way beyond the stats.

His exceptional attitude, leadership and talent have been clear for all to see and the most exciting part is the fact he's still just 23-years-old.

Odegaard's development this season has left many Los Blancos fans questioning their club's decision to sell him, even Spanish media was asking the question on everyone's mind - 'Were Real Madrid right to let him go?'

In an article published by Marca, the newspaper said: 'Arsenal have put faith in him, giving him a deal which runs until 2026, while Real Madrid didn’t show any real willing to keep him in Spain.

'Arteta has shown he trusts Odegaard, and many other young players for that matter, and his youthful Arsenal side are really enjoying their football at the moment and, importantly, delivering on the pitch.

'With how he’s performing at the moment, you have to wonder if Real Madrid made a mistake letting him go 12 months ago.'

Amongst all of the positives that come with this deal, however, may come potential consequences too.

Carlo Ancelotti is said to want Napoli's Fabian Ruiz, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal. The Mirror has previously reported that the Gunners are running provisional checks on the Spanish midfielder as they consider a move for him in the summer.

The report added that Arsenal representatives are understood to have met with the player's agents in a bid to understand his demands.

Despite this, interest from Spain appears to be turning Ruiz's head after La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that he wants to return to his home country and 'would love' to play for Real Madrid. It has also been suggested that his price has now dropped down to around €50 million (£41.6m), due to him entering the final year of his contract next season.

If this is indeed the case, then Arteta would be losing out on a top-class player who would have been a huge upgrade for his midfield.

The backlash that followed Madrid's decision to offload Odegaard would have certainly made its hierarchy keen to avoid such a mistake involving Arsenal once again, and Florentino Perez will want to ensure another big talent does not creep away from him.

Of course, it will also come down to money. But then you have Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis who may also want to get his own revenge after Arsenal successfully beat him to the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Bernd Leno and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Securing the services of Fabian Ruiz would be brilliant, but it sure won't be easy.

Follow our Arsenal Fan Brands Writer Chris Davison on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below. Make sure you have subscribed to The Arsenal Way and the Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Arsenal content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.

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