Is Odegaard the successor for Ozil?

Arsenal are on the cusp of completing a deal for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard, with the Norwegian set to complete a loan deal. Odegaard is seen as a replacement for Mesut Ozil.

With Mesut Ozil having left North London for a transfer to Fenerbahce, Arsenal are lacking creative talent in the middle of the park and it is understood that Gunners manager Mikel Arteta has identified Martin Odegaard as his preferred replacement for the German international.

Arsenal's director of football Edu has been locked in discussions with Real Madrid's transfer negotiators to sign Odegaard, and appears to have reached an agreement for the player who joined Real Madrid six years ago when aged just 16-years-old.

Odegaard has fallen out of favour at Real, with manager Zinedine Zidane instead preferring other creative midfield options. Odegaard spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad and impressed, with the La Liga side hoping to sign the player again for another season. However, it is understood that Real Madrid are no longer willing to loan the player to a domestic rival, with a move away from Spain preferred.

Arsenal will pay Real Madrid a reported 400,000 euro fee for Odegaard, and will cover the player's salary for the duration of the transfer.

Last week, Real Sociedad's manager Imanol admitted that Odegaard would not be returning to the club: "Clearly, with everything that he showed [here], what a good player he is, the team would grow even more.

"But at no time has there been any possibility that he would return here."

In recent weeks, Arsenal have deployed Emile Smith Rowe in an attacking midfield position, but the Gunners still hope to bolster their ranks with the signing of Odegaard.

The 22-year-old has played just 8 times for Real Madrid since his arrival at the club from Stromsgodset in 2015. Last season, Odegaard appeared 31 times for Real Sociedad.

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