Should Martin Odegaard’s wages tempt Aston Villa to forget loan links?

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Aston Villa are reportedly amongst the cluster of Championship clubs who have apparently been offered the chance to sign Martin Odegaard.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are amongst the cluster of Championship clubs who have been offered the chance to sign Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid this summer.

Odegaard has been a player that fans across Europe have been keeping their eye on for a number of years. The 19-year-old made his first-team debut at the age of 15 and was signed by Real Madrid less than a year later.

Unfortunately, the Norway international has struggled to realise that potential during his time at the Bernabeu. One full hand would not be needed if you were to count the number of appearances that Odegaard has made for Los Blancos, and he has spent much of the last two years out on loan in The Netherlands with Heerenveen. He scored just four goals in more than 40 appearances for the Dutch side.

TEAMtalk reports that he has been offered out ahead of another potential loan spell this summer, with Middlesbrough, Derby County and Villa being linked with potential swoops for the teenager. He also has offers from numerous other countries, but his preference is to head to England, according to the report.

A deal may appear tempting, but perhaps Steve Bruce and the Aston Villa hierarchy should look elsewhere given that TEAMtalk adds that Madrid want all of his £30,000-a-week wages covered by the side who loans him for next term.

If the reports regarding the wage demands are true, then Villa simply have to consider forgetting about Odegaard. As special a talent as he may prove to be, it seems to make little sense pursuing a deal this summer.

The Daily Mirror’s report on the wages that Aston Villa are already paying from earlier in the summer shows that Odegaard would earn the same amount that James Chester bags right now, while only a handful of players in the entire squad would earn more than him.

Odegaard has struggled with injury in the past and is yet to prove that he can be the player that many expected him to become when he burst onto the scene a few years ago. Therefore, spending £30,000-a-week on him seems almost ridiculous.

Rolling the dice and meeting Madrid’s demands may pay off handsomely for Bruce’s men, but there are surely too many warning signs present for Villa to confidently think that pursuing a loan deal seems like a good idea at this stage.