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OSLO, NORWAY - August 9: Martin Odegaard of Real Madrid, Christian Grindheim of Vaalerenga during Pre-season Friendly match between Vaalerenga and Real Madrid at Ullevaal Stadion on August 9, 2015 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Trond Tandberg/Getty Images)
OSLO, NORWAY - August 9: Martin Odegaard of Real Madrid, Christian Grindheim of Vaalerenga during Pre-season Friendly match between Vaalerenga and Real Madrid at Ullevaal Stadion on August 9, 2015 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Trond Tandberg/Getty Images)Trond Tandberg/Getty Images

Real Madrid Transfer News: Martin Odegaard Loan Rumours Ahead of Potential Ban

Rory Marsden
Aug 9, 2016

Real Madrid are reportedly eager to push through the loan departure ofย Martin Odegaard before they are officially hit with a transfer ban by FIFA at the end of the week.ย 

Per MailOnline's Pete Jenson, Bundesliga clubsย Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, along with West Ham United, are battling to sign theย 17-year-old Norwegian, but if Real complete the deal after they are handed their ban, they will not be able to recall him next summer.

Jenson added that Odegaard has been left out of Real's European Super Cup squad, an indication that he is not set for a first-team role under manager Zinedine Zidane in 2016-17.

It has long been expected that he will be loaned out in order to gain more first-team experience out of the spotlight, but now Real seemingly are under real time pressure to strike a deal.

Per Marca, Odegaard and his father both reportedly see the Bundesliga as the ideal league for him to flourish, thus Hamburg and Bayer will likely battle it out for his signature.ย 

However, Bleacher Report's Dean Jones previously suggested West Ham could offer him plenty of game time:

Odegaard moved to Madrid from Stromsgodsetย amid much fanfare in January 2015 after opting for Real over a number of other high-profile European clubs, per BBC Sport.

The attacking midfielder remains a special talent, but he has struggled to settle while playing in the youth setup at the Bernabeu, perย Sport'sย Fernando Baquero.

He has undoubtedly been adversely affected by the high-profile nature of his move and would surely benefit from a spell away from intense scrutiny.

Real and Atletico Madrid were previously handed two-window registration bans for breaching FIFA rules over the transfer of minors that wereย subsequentlyย suspended pending an appeal, per BBC Sport.

According to Jenson, the original ban is expected to be upheld by FIFA this week, hence theย accelerationย put on theย Odegaard transfer.ย 

The Norway international could yet be a star player for Real, but he needs time to improve, and a loan move is surely the perfectย solutionย given his struggles in Madrid.

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