Mikel Arteta has revealed Arsenal may want to turn Martin Odegaard's loan from Real Madrid into a permanent deal at the end of the season.
The 22-year-old playmaker joined the club in January and has made a bright start, having started the last two fixtures in both the Premier League and Europa League.
But with his long-term future shrouded in uncertainty, Arteta admitted Arsenal plan to hold talks with Odegaard this summer and discuss what lies ahead for him.
He said: 'We have Martin for a few months from Real Madrid and first of all we have to maximise this time with him to try to bring to the team all the qualities he has.
'At the end of the season we will sit together and decide where we can take that relationship forward. At the moment it doesn’t just depend on us.'
Goal have claimed that the indications from Arsenal are 'positive', pointing towards a desire from the north London outfit to keep hold of Odegaard.
Parent club Madrid will ultimately make the final decision, however, with the permanent sale of Odegaard in the summer a possibility.
The Norway international has struggled to make an impact at the Bernabeu despite making his debut in 2015.
His loan stint at Arsenal is his fourth in recent seasons - after his other spells with Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad.
Arsenal legend Martin Keown admitted after the 1-1 draw against Benfica that he holds 'reservations' over Odegaard's role.
'We're still waiting to see,' he told BT Sport. 'I think there's a player under there but he's not played much football for Real Madrid, maybe seven or eight games this season, maybe a bit short of fitness.'
He did, however, insist the starlet did 'really well' in helping tee up Buyako Saka for the leveller - and even believes the club plan to 'build around' him.
It has been claimed in Spain that Madrid plan to keep Odegaard after his Arsenal loan expires and use him as a 'trump card' to snap up Erling Haaland.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Odegaard's close friendship with his compatriot may prove crucial in settling this summer's anticipated big-money transfer saga.
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