Norway’s 15-year-old wonderkid Martin Odegaard looks set to turn his back on the English Premiership in favour of a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The forward, who has been labelled the ‘Norwegian Messi’, plays for Norwegian side Stromsgodset but after making his debut in April, has already attracted interest from a host of Europe’s top club sides including Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Odegaard became the youngest ever player to be capped by Norway when he was brought on as a substitute against the United Arab Emirates on 19 August, last year. Even before he became a renowned prospect, he had enjoyed short training stints with the Old Trafford side and German giants Bayern Munich.
Earlier in January, he trained with Liverpool before being invited to dine with some of the club’s top players, while he is also believed to have visited German club Borussia Dortmund and Dutch side Ajax. In fact, there’s barely a top club in Europe that hasn’t been linked with him.
But after training with Real Madrid’s B team, managed by club legend Zinedine Zidane, the speculation is that his destination will be Spain, with a £4 million transfer fee with Stromsgodset being mooted. The rumours were fueled further when he was spotted attending the Real vs Atletico Madrid derby in the Copa del Rey – a match which his likely future suiters won 2-0.
If all is to be believed, it seems there will be a lot of disappointed clubs across Europe – and one very happy one.