Arsenal on the brink of £30m agreement with Real Madrid to sign Odegaard

Arsenal and Real Madrid are on the brink of reaching an agreement for the transfer of Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard.

The Gunners had opened a dialogue with the Spanish giants earlier in the summer over a permanent deal, after Odegaard impressed on loan during the second half of last season.

Boss Mikel Arteta has remained determined to bring in a playmaker and now Sportsmail understands hands are about to be shaken on a deal worth in the region of £30million (€35m).

read also:Real Madrid cut Odegaard price during Arsenal negotiations

The deal is believed to be in the latter stages, with Odegaard primed to link up once again with the senior Arsenal squad in the coming days.

On Wednesday, Odegaard was absent from Real Madrid’s training session, while the fine print of the deal was being discussed.

Odegaard could feature for Arsenal’s game against London rivals Chelsea on Sunday, though question marks remain over whether the formalities will be completed in time.

Arsenal’s move to bring back Odegaard signals an end in their interest in Leicester City star James Maddison.

The Gunners have been linked with the England international for several weeks, though have been unable to bring the Foxes down from their £60m asking price.

Arsenal also continue to be linked to Lyon talisman Houssem Aouar, who looks set to finally move on from the French giants this summer in order to ease the burden on mounting finances.