Southampton seek summer loan swoop for Real starlet Odegaard

Southampton will aim to secure the loan signing of Real Madrid’s highly-rated Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard this summer to boost their midfield options for next season.

Ronald Koeman’s Saints, 10/1 with Coral to finish in the top four this term, reportedly recently sent club scouts to watch the starlet in action for Real’s Castilla youth side, as they continue to pursue a loan capture of the 16-year-old.

However, sought-after Odegaard was only selected as a substitute coach and Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane in his latest fixture, before making a 30-minute outing in an eventual 2-0 defeat to Huesca..

The former Stromsgodset midfielder has expectedly been unable to break into Carlo Ancelotti’s first-team in his short career so far but, with his talent and early determination, it could take only a short period of time. Odegaard’s current employers Madrid are 10/3 to retain their Champions League crown in Berlin this year.

Southampton will hope to benefit from the gifted youngsters’ raw attributes next term before a move into the Madrid first-team outfit is established, with Koeman looking to bolster his central midfield options after a recent domestic stutter.

The Saints sat comfortably in a Champions League position for many weeks but have recently suffered a slight downfall, after dropping six points adrift of Manchester United in fourth place.

Teen sensation Odegaard reportedly turned down several top European giants such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Ajax in favour of a Bernabeu switch, but this hasn’t thwarted talk of any potential loan moves this summer.

The playmaker has scored once in six appearances for Castilla since his transfer to the Spanish capital in January, but has played a full 90 minutes on just one occasion.