Arsenal absolutely ‘love’ £50m player, if he becomes available they’re going to bid – Romano

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Fabrizio Romano has told the Arsenal Lounge that if there is even a one percent change of landing Martin Odegaard then Arsenal will make a move.

The return?

Arsenal had Odegaard on loan last summer and he made a huge impression on Mikel Arteta and his staff.

The playmaker showed real flashes of quality since arriving in January, despite not being totally familiar with the Premier League.

Odegaard quickly became a key part of Arteta’s starting line-up.

However, a managerial shake-up at Real Madrid means that Odegaard may now stay in Spain.

Carlo Ancelotti certainly seems keen to take a look at the 22-year-old creator over pre-season, with Defensa Central saying he now has a £50 million price-tag hanging over his head.

But Arsenal are said not to have totally given up on completing a deal, and if an opportunity does present itself, the Gunners are expected to rekindle their interest.

“The Odegaard situation is still there. I think Odegaard will stay at Real Madrid but if things will change Arsenal want to be ready to jump at the deal,” he said.

“If Odegaard has one percent chance of leaving Madrid this summer Arsenal will be there, because they love the player and they know that Odegaard loved his time at Arsenal.

“That’s why they are still thinking of him as one of the options.”

New number 10

Arsenal appear to have made signing a playmaker one of their top priorities this summer, but they have failed to get a deal over the line yet.

If Odegaard did arrive he would at least need little time to settle in, as he should be very familiar with Arteta’s methods after last season.

Arsenal did tie down Emile Smith Rowe to a new contract yesterday.

But the Gunners may need to supplement his creativity with another architect and both Smith Rowe and Odegaard proved that they could play alongside each other effectively last term.