Mikel Arteta handed Arsenal transfer boost amid Real Madrid’s surprise Luka Modric ultimatum

Arsenal had been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Real Madrid talent Eduardo Camavinga. The Gunners were interested in taking the French midfielder on loan until the end of the season in the January transfer window, but a deal never managed to materialise.

The Gunners will need to sign a midfielder to improve upon the depth in the middle of the park. Already a Champions League winner, Camavinga was certainly a good option for Mikel Arteta.

Despite multiple setbacks in Arsenal’s reported interest in the midfielder, the France international could become an Arsenal player in the summer. This comes after Real Madrid’s reported decision to offer Luka Modric a new contract.

According to Croatian news outlet Sportske Novost, Real Madrid is offering Modric a new contract extension, but with an ultimatum – Modric has to announce his retirement from international football after the UEFA Nations League finals in June.

Camavinga joined Real Madrid in the same summer that Odegaard left Los Blancos from Ligue 1 side Rennes but has struggled for game time since making the £27.7m switch. With Modric reportedly offered a new deal, it means that the lack of game time would likely continue.

Camavinga could potentially represent good business for Arsenal given his left-footedness, the age of the player and his reputation for being among the most coveted young midfielders in world football. And Edu can repeat the blueprint established to negotiate a deal for Martin Odegaard if he was to press ahead with any such move.

After failing to break into the squad as a 16-year-old, Odegaard featured mostly for the Real Madrid Castilla team before multiple loans to the Dutch league for two seasons.

He then experienced a successful loan spell at Real Sociedad in 2019, which was supposed to offer him first-team minutes to prepare him ahead of a return to Madrid. But despite flourishing at Sociedad and proving his capacity to adapt to La Liga football, his game time in Madrid remained limited and Arsenal came calling as they agreed a loan deal for the midfielder in the January 2021 transfer window.

This was followed by a permanent transfer that summer after he impressed during his initial brief stay in the Premier League. Taking this into consideration and the difficulty he is likely to face in dislodging the existing midfield options at Real, Camavinga could well follow the same route as Odegaard who joined Real Madrid as a promising midfielder before him.