Odegaard looks set for a St Mary’s switch.
Southampton could be on the verge of one of the biggest transfer coups in recent times by signing Stromsgodset wonderkid Martin Odegaard ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, according to the Daily Star.
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The 16-year-old burst onto the scene this year after breaking into the first team at his club and then earning his first international cap for Norway not long after.
Odegaard has now played three times for his national side and holds the record for being the youngest player ever to feature in a European Championship qualifying match.
It is therefore little surprise some of the biggest clubs in Europe have been keeping tabs on the midfielder and he has visited the Gunners, United, Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City ahead of proposed moves.
Yet Ronald Koeman could be set to steal the march on this quintet of footballing giants and tempt Odegaard to St Mary’s instead by using the Saints’ impeccable reputation for developing young players.
The likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott and world record signing Gareth Bale all came through the ranks on the South Coast and this is an appealing factor in the teenager’s decision.
Odegaard’s father Hans Erik is helping to oversee the negotiations for his son.