Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is set to sign a new contract with the gunners, with an agreement now very close, according to Ben Jacobs in his exclusive column for CaughtOffside.
The Norway international has been a hugely influential player for the Gunners in recent times, becoming a leader on the pitch to go alongside his all-round quality on the ball.
Arsenal fans will no doubt hope a new deal can be confirmed for Odegaard as soon as possible, and Jacobs’ latest update certainly sounds positive, with the former Real Madrid man likely to more than double his current wages.
Odegaard could surely play for basically any top team in the world now, but it seems increasingly likely that he’s going to commit to this hugely impressive Arsenal project, which seems to go from strength to strength all the time.
Discussing the latest on Odegaard’s future at Arsenal, Jacobs said: “Martin Odegaard is expected to sign a new Arsenal contract. An agreement in principle is not far off. Talks are advanced and the Arsenal captain could extend until 2027.
“Arsenal are very optimistic. They know Odegaard wants to stay, and after a flurry of renewals last season the 24-year-old is now next in line.
“Much like Bukayo Saka’s extension, which took time but was never really in doubt, Odegaard is seen as ‘untouchable’ right now. But there will still be some finer points to thrash out.
“Odegaard is on about £115k-per-week and will be looking to more than double that. And that pay hike is richly deserved after 15 goals last season and two already this campaign, including a key equaliser against Manchester United in a 3-1 win, which came just a minute after the visitors opened the scoring.
“I would expect, now the international break is over, for talks to move relatively fast. You may remember with Saka, the agreement in principle in the back half of last season still took a couple of months to then get signed and announced, but that didn’t mean that progress wasn’t made.
“Regardless of when it’s all official, Arsenal know Odegaard wants to stay and that should make his renewal relatively smooth.”