For his part, Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard would like to remain with Arsenal next season, according to a report.

Football.London report that Martin Odegaard has told those close to him that he would like to remain with Arsenal beyond the end of the season. The 22-year-old is impressed with Mikel Arteta and his project, so he’s hoping to stay with the club.

It’s not all good news, however. The same source reports that Odegaard won’t force a move out of Real Madrid if Arsenal don’t make a suitable offer. He’s leaving it up to his loan club to convince his parent club to sell – or to agree on another loan deal.

All the same, this is the first step towards Arsenal bringing the playmaker back in the summer window. Though it doesn’t guarantee he’ll join, the club needed Odegaard’s approval to have any chance at all with the move.

It’s obviously going to be a lot easier to get the deal done if Arsenal can qualify for the Champions League. They’ll have more money available and an even stronger case to make to Odegaard if that’s the case.

Given Real Madrid don’t seem to want to discuss the situation until the summer anyway, if at all, there’s nothing else to do but to focus on ending the campaign strongly.