Real Madrid's talented 17-year-old midfield wonderkid Martin Ødegaard is interested in joining Premier League side Liverpool on a season-long loan, according to reports. The teenager, who trained with the first-team squad on a regular basis last term whilst featuring for the club's reserve team (Madrid Castilla), is expected to leave the Bernabeú on a temporary basis.
Ødegaard expecting temporary departure from Real
This is because the Norwegian attacking midfielder, who joined the Spanish giants in January 2015, is deemed to be good enough to play at a higher level than that of the reserves - but isn't yet ready for an extended spell in Zinedine Zidane's first-team side, especially with competition for places in midfield very fierce. Bundesliga sides Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen both registered an interest in his services on a season-long loan basis, but he has rejected the offers to move to Germany.
Instead, he's interested in a move to England's top flight - having already trialled with the likes of both Manchester clubs as well as the Reds before deciding upon a lucrative Madrid switch eighteen months ago.
Talented teenager eyeing an unlikely Liverpool loan move
His main drive behind a proposed move to Liverpool is because of the fact he supports the club, something he made public back in 2014 and described them as his "dream club". Both he and his father seemed keen on a switch to Anfield after meeting with then-boss Brendan Rodgers as well as a tour of Melwood, the club's training facility, but he instead opted for the better club in terms of quality in the current UEFA Champions League holders.
With all of this being taken into account, the prospect of Jürgen Klopp being interested in taking him on a loan deal seems doubtful. He has a number of midfielders fighting for places at the moment, plus it's unclear whether they'd have to pay the majority of, or the full percentage of his eyewatering £80,000 wages p/w.
He'd become one of only three teenagers in the first-team squad, alongside Sheyi Ojo and Joe Gomez, but with the likes of Harry Wilson and Ovie Ejaria aiming for promotions into the senior squad, a potential move is unlikely.