Transfer News: Chelsea eye swoop for on-loan Arsenal star Martin Odegaard
According to news outlet Daily Star (h/t Express), Chelsea are hoping to beat Arsenal to the transfer of Real Madrid playmaker Martin Odegaard in the summer.
The Norwegian attacking midfielder has been with Real Madrid since 2015 but has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter at the club, despite a successful loan spell away at Real Sociedad last term.
As a result, he pushed for a January exit, securing a loan move to Arsenal. Since arriving in London, Odegaard has shown great promise, becoming a regular at the Emirates, prompting the club to consider making his transfer permanent.
However, it might not be as straightforward for Arsenal as Chelsea have now entered the fray to try and beat the Gunners for the transfer of Odegaard.
As it is, Chelsea have a plethora of attacking midfielders in their midst with Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz all vying for starts while the likes of Ross Barkley, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will also return from their loan spells at the end of the season.
Amidst all this, it is hard to see where Thomas Tuchel finds room for Odegaard in the Chelsea squad. However, recent reports have claimed that there is a chance of the Blues offloading Ziyech in the summer, which could open up a vacancy.
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Along with Chelsea, Liverpool too have shown an interest in the Norwegian international along with French champions PSG. While Arsenal’s interest in him is firm, the Gunners fear that they will not be able to pay his transfer fee which could rise to £50m by the end of the season.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea do make an attempt to sign the Real Madrid star at the end of the season.