Arsenal offer player lucrative £6m-a-year deal as Arteta pushes to sign key target

Arsenal have offered Martin Odegaard a bumper deal worth around £6m-per-season as Mikel Arteta pushes to re-sign the Real Madrid attacking midfielder this summer, according to Spanish outlet Defensa Central.

Arteta and his team have been working hard in recent months trying to overhaul the squad after Arsenal finished eighth for the second consecutive season and they’ve already snapped up Nuno Tavares and Albert Lokonga.

Centre-back Ben White is also set to arrive from Brighton so Arteta is now focussing his efforts on bringing in a creative midfielder ahead of the new season and Odegaard is once again a key target for the Gunners boss.

Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates Stadium and returned to Real Madrid this summer with the intention of trying to establish himself under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

However, the Norwegian has failed to convince the Italian during pre-season and Sport reported earlier this week that Madrid were now open to the idea of allowing Odegaard to leave after previously insisting he wasn’t for sale.

It appears Arsenal are ready to take advantage of the situation as Defensa Central claims the north Londoners are desperate to lure Odegaard back to England and have offered the 22-year-old a deal worth £6m [€7m] per season.

The Spanish outlet says Odegaard is now seriously considering Arsenal’s offer as it’s substantially higher than the wage he’s on at the Bernabeu and he knows he’ll be guaranteed more regular football at the Emirates.

The likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Isco and Federico Valverde are all ahead of him in the pecking order at Real Madrid so Odegaard will find it difficult to establish himself as a regular under Ancelotti next season.

At Arsenal, Odegaard is highly regarded by Arteta and will be a central figure in his first team plans so it’s understandable why the youngster is considering a move back to North London this summer.

The playmaker has just two years left on his contract so this could be a good time for Madrid to cash-in while his value remains high and Defensa Central says the La Liga giants may reluctantly sell if a suitable offer is put on the table.

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No valuation is given in the report but Football London journalist Chris Wheatley claims the asking price will be around £35m and that seems like an excellent deal for a player of Odegaard’s potential.