Injured since the start of the season, Martin Odegaard is not participating in Arsenal‘s incredible run. The Gunners' captain remains highly valued in the transfer market, but his price risks cooling suitors' interest, including Barcelona.
Hurt in the knee on 4th October during a match against West Ham, Martin Odegaard has still not made his return. Without their captain, Arsenal are nevertheless managing to string results together, with a comfortable position as Premier League leaders (six points ahead of Manchester City) and second place in the Champions League. The Gunners could finally be heading towards a major title.
For Martin Odegaard, this situation cannot be easy as he watches helplessly as his teammates succeed. The team's positive momentum could even push the English club to part with their metronome. According to information from TEAMtalk, however, it would require spending at least £80m to secure the services of the 26-year-old player. An amount that risks discouraging certain suitors, such as Barcelona.
€90m, Martin Odegaard's price is known
Barcelona greatly appreciate Martin Odegaard's profile and this is understandable as the Norwegian playmaker has a style that could totally correspond with Barcelona's DNA. But to recruit him, it would require offering a cheque approaching €100m (£85.5m). And whilst the Spanish club were able to spend such sums in the past (Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho), today, Barcelona are incapable of matching such a high amount.
Martin Odegaard should make his return to competition at the end of November or early December at the latest. This will be an opportunity to see how Mikel Arteta will integrate the former Real Madrid player into his squad, whilst the team is performing very well and has found perfect balance. Despite Barcelona's interest in Martin Odegaard, this transfer is currently impossible and even in the coming seasons because the player still has a contract until 2028 and continues to retain his coach's confidence.
This article was originally published on Top Mercato.
