Real Madrid manager hold talks with Arsenal transfer target

English Premier League side Arsenal may end up being disappointed in their pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard this summer. New Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly made it clear to the player that he is needed in the Spanish capital for the upcoming season.

The Norwegian was shipped off to join the Gunners on loan back in January, where he made a strong impact despite the short loan period. He returned to Real Madrid this summer, but Arsenal are understood to be trying to get him back on another loan deal or on a more permanent basis.

Ancelotti said at the start of the campaign that every player is important and he will be making his decisions once he has had the chance to observe his squad on the pitch. The Norway captain managed to clock in significant minutes in Real Madrid's pre-season friendlies, and according to Football Espana, Ancelotti is convinced that Odegaard must stay.

This contradicts earlier reports that state Real Madrid are open to selling the young midfielder. Ancelotti has reportedly met up with the young Norwegian, to personally discuss the player's role in the manager's plans for the upcoming season.

The Italian has reportedly guaranteed Odegaard the opportunities that have been hard to come by in the previous years since he joined the club. He has been made to feel important, but this does not take away the fact that he is elbowing for room in the starting eleven with behemoths like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

However, judging from what happened last season, Real Madrid had a very strong chance to challenge for trophies until the final days of the campaign, but both Kroos and Modric were over-worked and exhausted. Due to multiple injuries in the squad, then-manager Zinedine Zidane was often left with no choice but to utilise players from Real Madrid Castilla just to be able to get to the end of the season.

Having Odegaard in the rotation will be something that any manager will want, and the Norwegian will be delighted to finally get a chance to break into the lineup. This leaves Arsenal in the dust, with Mikel Arteta now forced to go for an alternative.