Arteta admits he wants Odegaard to STAY at Arsenal after impressive loan spell

Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal will look into the possibility of signing Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard 'in the next few weeks' after the Norwegian impressed during his four-month loan spell at the Emirates.

The playmaker started and played 86 minutes in the Gunners' 2-0 win against Brighton on the final day, meaning Arteta's side finished a difficult campaign in eighth place.

The 22-year-old joined from Madrid in January on a loan deal until the end of the season, scoring two goals and registering two assists and now Arteta is hopeful the club can complete a deal with Odegaard's parent club over a permanent transfer.

'We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do,' Arteta said about Odegaard's potential future in north London.

'He's not our player. We'll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he's a Real Madrid player.

'We'll have those communications. We've tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he's done.

'He has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football. Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling this could be a good place for him.'

When asked directly if Odegaard will stay at Arsenal, Arteta replied: 'I don't know. It's not in our hands, I don't know.'

While Arteta is interested in keeping hold of Odegaard, his willingness to sign Dani Ceballos permanently from Madrid appears less likely.

The midfielder has made some high-profile mistakes this season and having spent a second successive on loan at the Emirates, the 24-year-old looks set to return to Madrid for good this time.