Arsenal's pursuit of a permanent deal for Martin Odegaard looks set to be a difficult one.
However, it could have been a lot smoother had they copied their London rivals Chelsea's approach when it comes to negotiating with Real Madrid.
The attacking midfielder is on loan from the La Liga giants until the end of the season having joined during the January transfer window and football.london understands talks regarding his future are planned.
Yet there are a couple of issues that must be resolved before Arsenal can think about turning Odegaard 's loan deal into a permanent transfer in the summer window.
One is the future of Zinedine Zidane at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Frenchman's hopes of keeping his job likely ride on winning the Champions League, where Los Blancos will face Liverpool in the quarter-finals as his side are six points off La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid and were embarrassed in the Copa del Rey by Alcoyano.
Should Zidane be sacked, there's a good chance that Odegaard will get to realise his dream of being a regular for Real Madrid.
"Yes, as I have said many times when you sign there, the goal is always to play there," he told TV2. "It is of course a big dream."
And the other issue is the transfer fee.
Real Madrid reportedly view Odegaard as a 'fundamental piece' of their future, so it may take a huge offer from Arsenal to tempt them into selling.
Of course, the Gunners could repeat a Thomas Partey transfer trick by activating Odegaard's release clause in his contract which would take the decision out of Los Blancos' hands.
But with that clause being £301million, that is simply not possible.
This problem could have been avoided if Arsenal had negotiated an option to purchase Odegaard prior to announcing his arrival.
Just like Chelsea did in the summer of 2019 when they signed Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid following a successful 2018/2019 season on loan at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues triggered the option to purchase the midfielder for £40m before the June 30, 2019 deadline that was agreed between the two clubs, thus exposing the mistake Arsenal made regarding Odegaard.
