Arsenal are reportedly open to selling captain Martin Odegaard next summer if he does not agree a new contract, with the Norway midfielder said to be able to imagine a future move to Bayern Munich.
Odegaard's current deal at the Emirates runs until the summer of 2028, which leaves him with a little over 20 months to run. According to Sky Germany, reported by Sport Witness on Friday morning, Arsenal have already held initial informal talks over an extension and want the 27-year-old tied down before he enters the final year of his contract. If no agreement is reached, the Gunners would be open to selling him next summer rather than risk losing their captain for nothing in 2028.
A long Bayern admiration
Bayern's interest is not new. Sky Germany reports there has been contact between Bayern and Odegaard's camp repeatedly over the years, going back to trials with the German club when he was a 15-year-old prodigy, but a move has never materialised. Bayern have discussed his name internally again, and the player can reportedly envision a future move to Germany.
CaughtOffside, reporting the same Sky Germany claims later on Friday, described this as a turning point in Odegaard's Arsenal career. The midfielder has also reportedly received approaches from several other unnamed top European clubs, so Bayern would not have a clear run if Arsenal ever did decide to cash in.
Odegaard faced his reported suitors directly only last week, lining up against Bayern in the Champions League game that finished Bayern 2-2 Arsenal thanks to Declan Rice's late equaliser. He has four goals and an assist in 14 matches this season, having put an injury-hit campaign behind him — last season he managed a goal and eight assists in 36 matches as repeated problems limited his minutes.
Why Bayern are in no rush
For all the noise, nobody is describing Bayern as desperate. The reports agree Odegaard is not currently a priority target in Munich, where Vincent Kompany is well stocked in central midfield, and it is unclear whether Bayern have made any fresh approach recently. Sport Witness even suggested Odegaard's camp may be using Bayern's timid interest as leverage to secure improved terms from Arsenal.
That reading makes sense. Odegaard remains Mikel Arteta's captain and the creative centre of this Arsenal side, a status underlined this week when Thierry Henry was discussing the responsibility carried by the club's senior attackers in the Henry verdict on Arsenal's forwards. Arsenal's public position all summer was that they had no interest in selling him, and an extension still looks the most probable outcome.
So what does it mean?
This is a contract negotiation playing out in public, and the calendar is Arsenal's problem. Every month without a signature brings Odegaard closer to the final year of his deal, weakens Arsenal's hand and strengthens Bayern's. If talks are still informal by the spring, a summer sale stops being a scare story and becomes the sensible business decision Arsenal themselves are reportedly prepared to make.
For Bayern, watching costs nothing. If Odegaard signs, they lose nothing; if he does not, they are first in the queue for a world-class playmaker entering his peak years.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Arsenal cannot let their captain drift into a final year the way they have watched other stars run deals down before — either Odegaard signs before the end of this season, or selling him next summer is not weakness, it is the only smart move left. But make no mistake, a captain who can imagine himself in Munich is already halfway out of the door in his head. Should Arsenal sell Odegaard next summer if he refuses to sign, or break their wage structure to keep him? Let us know in the comments.
