Odegaard won't return to Real Madrid, claims Real Sociedad president

Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay believes Martin Odegaard will stay at the club rather than returning to Real Madrid ahead of next season.

Odegaard, 21, joined Sociedad on a one-season loan deal last year, although there is reportedly an option for that to be extended for another campaign.

The Norway international has been linked with a return to Madrid , but Aperribay believes Odegaard will stay at Sociedad.

"I think Odegaard is going to stay at Real. It is what I believe and the hope we have," he told Radio Euskadi on Tuesday.

"When you stay at Real, if you stay, you have to be convinced, like when he came last year. Convinced that it is the best option for next season.

"The decision is up to him and I think he will stay."

Odegaard had scored seven goals and provided eight assists in 28 games this season before the campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He helped Sociedad reach the Copa del Rey final, in which they are due to face Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao, but Aperribay is unclear when the decider could be held.

"It is not easy to organise a final in a short time. I see that as impossible. We have no knowledge of any date," he said.

"It is not easy to imagine that scenario now – that of a final with an audience before the end of the season."

Sociedad legend Roberto Lopez Ufarte believes Odegaard has the ability to claim a first team spot at Real Madrid , possibly ahead of veteran midfielder Luka Modric.

"I think he has his head screwed on and he knows why he came here: to show people, to show that he has a lot of ability and that he is waiting for a spot to open up at Real Madrid," Ufarte told told Noticias de Gipuzkoa.

"These are just my thoughts, but possibly in the next year when Modric leaves.

"Possibly, as he has said many times, he is here for two years. They might leave him here because it's down to the club who pays him, which is not just Real Sociedad but Real Madrid.

"If you ask anyone who the most important players at La Real are, they will say Odegaard, [Alexander] Isak and [Mikel] Oyarzabal but Odegaard will always be in first place. 

"He has almost all of the tools to play in midfield. We won't just speak about his technique, which is exquisite, and he knows the exact moment when he has to do something and when to give the ball but what also stands out is his recoveries and pressures. Because the first to put the central defenders under pressure is him.

"If you pushed me to find one, maybe he holds onto the ball a bit much but they are at the right moments when he thinks the best thing to do is hold onto the ball to let his team-mates get free, but he is a player with talent, he knows what is best for him and for the team above all."