Real Madrid have agreed to allow midfielder Martin Ødegaard to remain on loan with Real Sociedad for another campaign while they put the finishing touches on plans to rejuvenate their squad.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, this summer was seen as a turning point for Madrid, whose squad is full of a number of ageing stars who will soon need replacing. However, with money now not so easy to find, Los Blancos have been tipped to avoid making any major signings this summer.
It seems as though Madrid are going all-in on delaying their rebuild until 2021. AS state that club officials have decided against making any major moves – either in or out – and that means there may be no place for Ødegaard next season.
Los Blancos fear Ødegaard’s development would be stunted if there is no obvious spot in the starting lineup for him, and that is why they have decided to extend his stay with Sociedad for another campaign.
Ødegaard is happy to do so as he agrees with the plan, while Sociedad are unsurprisingly keen to keep one of La Liga’s most exciting midfielders on their books, but a brand new agreement would need to be reached between the two clubs as the Norwegian’s initial loan was only for one year.
This assist from Martin Ødegaard >
? @martinio98 ?#StayHome #LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/uoBHdGLoaU
— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) March 23, 2020
Madrid would be prepared to backtrack on this and bring the Norwegian over to the Santiago Bernabéu if any of their current squad get struck down with injuries, but if all goes according to plan, Ødegaard will spend next season at the Reale Arena.
What that means for Real’s other loanees is unclear. The likes of Dani Ceballos, Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguillón will all have decisions to make about their future this summer, but if Madrid are unwilling to make changes to their squad, there may not be space for any of them.
As for Ødegaard, he will get another chance to impress against his parent club on Sunday as Sociedad will host Zinedine Zidane’s side in La Liga.
For Madrid, the game will be a chance to move level with Barcelona at the top of the table. Quique Sétien’s side slipped up against Sevilla last time out, so three points against Sociedad would tie things up.
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