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What's the story?
As per the news outlet Diario AS, Real Madrid are willing to offload their teenage starlet Martin Odegaard and Ajax are reportedly interested in a move for the 20-year-old Norwegian. Real Madrid signed the midfielder when he was just 16 because of his eye-catching performances at Norwegian club Stromsgodset.
In case you didn't know..
Odegaard is on loan at another Dutch club, Vitesse Arnhem, and also played against Ajax this season. It is his second stint in the Dutch Eredivisie after last year's loan stint at Heerenveen.
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The Norwegian has made 28 appearances for Vitesse Arnhem this season and has been one of their top players with an impressive tally of 6 goals and 9 assists for the Dutch club.
The Heart of the Matter
Ajax have already lost their 21-year-old star midfielder Frenkie de Jong to FC Barcelona, with the move set to be completed this summer. The club is also expected to lose another set of young players like Matthijs de Ligt, Kasper Dolberg and Donny van de Beek after they produced stellar performances against Real Madrid and Juventus.
Talking to Dutch media outlet Voetbal International about a potential move to the Johan Cruyff Arena, Odegaard resonded: “Ajax…who knows?”
He further added, "In the summer I’ll go back to Madrid and we’ll see what they want to do."
What's ahead?
There is no doubt that Odegaard will be a great signing for Ajax for two good reasons. Firstly, the 20-year-old has a two-year experience at the Eridivisie and the fact that he has been one of the top players at Vitesse right now suggests that he has adapted well.
Secondly, Ajax have a great history of creating gold out of young players and their current squad is proof of that concept. Some notable Ajax products include Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Edwin van der Sar.
Ajax, who have been underdogs in the Champions League since the beginning of the knockout stages, have pulled great upsets in the round of 16 and the quarter-finals against Real Madrid and Juventus respectively. They play Tottenham in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid do not stand a chance of grabbing any silverware after their Club World Cup triumph. They have been eliminated from all cup competitions and are out of the race for the La Liga too. The Los Blancos next play Getafe on Friday.
