Martin Odegaard to renew at Real Madrid before loan exit

Martin Odegaard will renew his Real Madrid contract before departing on loan for Real Sociedad or Bayer Leverkusen, say Diario AS.

Los Blancos could allow the Norwegian midfielder to join La Real on a two-year loan option without a purchase option, while it is thought the player prefers to play in the Spanish league.

“We have been talking to him for three months,” La Real president Jokin Aperribay confessed to Radio Marca on Wednesday.

Multiple reports had said the player was on the verge of joining German side Bayer Leverkusen with Marca last week citing Norwegian station TV2 which claimed that player and his father were at the Düsseldorf airport and travelling to Bayer’s stadium.

De Telegraaf say Ajax have discontinued their pursuit of the player after a series of discussions, with his future now seemingly set to lie in Germany.

The reports linking Odegaard to the Basque club may mean Real Sociedad do not sign Denmark youth international Andreas Skov Olsen from Nordsjælland.

Bayer sporting director Simon Rolfes has said that Odegaard “is an interesting player,” while Dutch newspaper Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad say he will join Leverkusen.

The 20-year-old netted 11 goals across 34 appearances in a stellar campaign on loan at Vitesse, leading to speculation that he could be included in Madrid’s first-team squad.

Madrid signed Odegaard, then aged just 15, from Norwegian club Strømsgodset in 2014 but he has featured just twice for the club since with his last appearance against Cultural y Leonesa in November 2016 in a Copa del Rey clash.

Ajax were said to have already made a €20m offer for the player but Los Blancos are insistent that they will not sanction a permanent exit, even though the Amsterdam-based club included a buyback clause.

Madrid are said to have favoured an exit to the Bundesliga, which they see as a stronger league and one which holds greater similarities to La Liga.

This is where Bayer Leverkusen come in, with Dani Carvajal previously having a successful stint there before returning to Madrid’s first team.

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