Real Madrid Transfer News: Martin Odegaard Rumours Fuelled by Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has backed Martin Odegaard to have a "good future" amid speculation the Norwegian teenager is closing on a move to Real Madrid, according to Thomas Jacobs of the Daily Mail.

Odegaard, who only turned 16 in December, trained with Real last week and was in attendance for the Copa del Rey tie against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon.

And, speaking before he was awarded the Ballon d’Or on Monday, Ronaldo offered his view on the Stromsgodset midfielder:

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[He is a] good player. He is a young boy who can still grow. He is 16 years old. He has a good future. We must give him time to learn and to take the best decisions, but I see a lot of potential in the player. [He has a] good left foot.

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Real coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed last week, per Marca, that Odegaard had been training with the club but a final decision on whether to sign him had not been made.

“Yes, he trained with us,” said Ancelotti. “He’s a very skilled and promising young player…but we haven’t made a decision as yet.” These are some of the skills Ancelotti is referring to:

Real are just one of a number of clubs who have shown an interest in signing Odegaard, and he trained with Arsenal in December, per Norwegian newspaper VG Sporten (h/t the Daily Mirror).

He was then reportedly set to sign for Bayern Munich when he turned 16 in December, per Sport (h/t 101 Great Goals), but no deal has yet materialised.

Norwegian paper VG (h/t 101 Great Goals) reported that Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United were also due to invite Odegaard for a visit, while Alex Harris of the Daily Star wrote that Southampton had made a move.

It is certainly going to be a big decision for Odegaard. Ronny Deila, who gave Odegaard his Stromsgodset debut at the age of 14 and is now manager of Celtic, acknowledged the dilemma facing the teenager.

Deila told David McCarthy of the Daily Record: “What is his thinking now? Is it go to a big club and try to break in there or go to a smaller club in not such a good league, where it might be easier to get into the first team every week?”

Celtic were among the clubs to show an interest in Odegaard, but it is looking inevitable that he is going to make the move to one of Europe’s biggest leagues.

Real Madrid are as a big a club as they come, if Odegaard moves to the Santiago Bernabeu. It would be hard to turn down the chance to join the European champions.

Learning more from the likes of Ronaldo would surely aid Odegaard’s development. Yet, at the same time, it may not lead to an immediate opportunity of first-team football due to the depth of quality Real already boast.