Arsenal have learned the asking price required to sign former loanee Martin Odegaard, amid talks of the Gunner wanting to sign another attacking midfielder before the transfer window closes.
Odegaard, 22, has reemerged as a transfer target for Mikel Arteta's side after his loan spell last season has caught the eyes of the Gunners hierarchy who are looking into the possibility of making the move permanent.
The Norway international was sent on loan to Arsenal in the second half of last season, providing only three-goal contributions in a total of 14 Premier League games.
His farewell message illustrated what most people thought would be the full ending to his north London stay, but this may not be the case as Odegaard himself seems set on wanting to leave the Santiago Bernabeu-based club.
"@Arsenal, Thank you so much for these 6 months," he wrote on Instagram after his loan spell ended.
"My time with the Arsenal family will always hold a special place in my heart.
"I wanna thank everyone in and around the club for the way you made me feel like a part of the family since the first day.
"Special thanks to the fans, even without you guys at the stadium for the majority of the season, I felt you with me at all times.
"A huge thank you to the boss and his staff for everything I’ve learned during my stay. Thank you also to all my teammates for such a great time on and off the pitch.
"Will miss you all. Thank you, gunners family. Always in my heart."
ESPN have reported that Real Madrid have put a €50million (£43m) price tag on a player they believe still has an 'important future' at the club.
This could scupper any hopes of a potential Emirates Stadium return for the 22-year-old with £43million seeming a little excessive for a player who didn't really set the Premier League alight, scoring a rating of 6.72 out of 10 according to WhoScored.com which is just above average.
CIES Foootball Observatory agree Los Blancos' asking price of £43m is too much for the Norwegian.
The ever-reliable transfer value website has suggested that Edu and Arsenal should only be paying up to £34m for the attacking midfielder this summer.
Any more than that would be a rip-off in their view and in the opinion of those Gunners fans who don't believe he is worth the steep asking price after what they saw last season of the 22-year-old.
Nevertheless, football.london understands that despite Florentino Perez' hardball stance on the fee, the Gunners have not given up just yet in their pursuit of Odegaard this summer.
Arsenal's first target for the number 10 role this summer is Leicester star James Maddison, but a steep asking price of £80m has made this deal a no-go so far in this transfer window.
