Odegaard, Real Madrid's trump card for Haaland transfer
Senior management at the Spanish giants are already planning for the next generation of superstars to line up at the new Bernabéu, with Norwegians at its heart.
Martin Odegaard is one of the great hopes for Real Madrid's first team ’nursery' alongside the likes of Vinicius, Rodrygo, Lunin and Fede Valverde. Players who arrived at the Spanish club at a very tender age and who have been developing their game between loan moves and spells in the first team.
Odegaard's Real Madrid breakthrough
For Odegaard, this 2020/21 campaign was seen as a massive one. After proving he was worthy of a return to the champions with stunning performances for Real Sociedad, everything appeared to be lined up for him to raise his profile further under Zinedine Zidane. But it hasn’t been as smooth a start to the season as had been hoped for - this could now change - although he is still seen as a crucial part of the club’s future, both on and off the pitch.
Fans can be guilty of short-termism but clubs have to look further ahead and this is the plan of the Madrid hierarchy who consider that Odegaard will be key to their business of summer 2022. There are two neatly aligned reasons for this.
Firstly, his evolution in the team should be getting close to its potential by that point. Added to that his relation with Erling Haaland is expected to aid his signing that summer. The record-breaking striker is on the priority list for the Santiago Bernabéu club, and as AS has learned this will be from 1 July 2022, the date of the gentleman’s agreement between the player’s agent Mino Raiola and Borussia Dortmund. Real Madrid is well placed but they will face competition from Manchester United, a behemoth of a club, but one still struggling to return to the top of world football.
Trump cards in Madrid and Manchester
From United’s perspective, it is believed that they can use Paul Pogba to aid their negotiations with the Norwegian forward, a player that shares representation with Raiola. Offering the want away Frenchman an attractive exit door could be tied to the former Salzburg man coming in. The other potential ace up their sleeve is Ole Gunner Solskjaer who knows Haaland well. That said, question marks hang over the managerial longevity of the Red Devil legend, with results as consistently positive as a magnet.
But Los Blancos are confident of securing the services of arguably the hottest goal-getting talent in Europe. His friendship with Odegaard is clear, and their relationship on the pitch for the national team is a recipe for an tasty future at club level for years to come.