Arsenal face uphill battle for Odegaard transfer amid£301m release clause

Arsenal fans are desperate for their club to sign Martin Odegaard permanently this summer, but the Gunners face an uphill battle to land the Norwegian permanently.

Arsenal fans are clamouring for the permanent signature of Martin Odegaard ahead of this summer.

The Real Madrid midfielder joined on a loan deal until the end of the season late in the January transfer window and has not looked back.

Odegaard has been excellent for the Gunners, helping them progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and get back on track in the Premier League.

And on Sunday, he put in his latest impressive display, playing a key part in the equaliser after Arsenal came back from three goals behind to draw 3-3 with West Ham, playing in Nicolas Pepe to set up Alexandre Lacazette's far post header.

Mikel Arteta said of Odegaard after that performance: “I think he had an incredible performance, he was very intelligent the way he read the game, the way he affected the game and again he showed how much he wants to win.

“When everyone was a little bit trembling, he gave us that composure on the ball and he created chance after chance.

“I love talented and creative players that all the time are willing to take that ball and make things happen, that are mobile and also hard-working. He is one of them.

“We have some others with different qualities but it’s true that Martin is now giving us a different level on certain things that we didn’t have.”

Arsenal fans are now desperate for their club to sign Odegaard permanently, but there is a big hitch, and that's because of the midfielder's release clause.

Under La Liga regulations, all players in Spain's top flight must have a release clause, but Odegaard's is ludicrously high, currently at £301million with his contract not due to expire until 2023.

Of course, Real Madrid could allow Odegaard to leave for less than that, but Los Blancos seem very keen to get their young Norwegian back ahead of next season.

They did just that ahead of this season after Odegaard had impressed during a spell with Real Sociedad, but limited game time saw him put in a loan request.

Arsenal will hope the the 22-year-old's desperate desire to play regular football leads him in the direction of north London, but ultimately, Real Madrid are not likely to allow him to leave permanently and that release clause puts them in a very strong position.