Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is set to leave the club at the end of the season, reports suggest.
The iconic midfielder, who has won the Champions League four times as Madrid head coach, has reportedly told his players that he won’t continue after the end of the current campaign.
Zidane had been tipped to leave Madrid earlier in the campaign, but the club had always remained confident that he would stay.
But now, he has apparently decided he will walk away from the Bernabeu, reports Goal, in a move that will have drastic implications for Arsenal’s transfer plans.
The Gunners took Madrid’s Martin Odegaard on loan during January, and are desperate to sign him permanently this summer.
(Image: Getty Images)
However, Zidane was determined to keep hold of the Norwegian.
The manager viewed Odegaard as a key part of his long-term plans, but those have now been thrown into doubt.
Arsenal were expected to make Odegaard their top target of the summer, and could now have hope if Zidane is to leave.
Madrid had been expected to make the 22-year-old playmaker one of their players to build around long-term if Zidane was still at the club.
It has been reported that Zidane held talks with Odegaard earlier in the year to express his support for the youngster, and was apparently furious that the club allowed him to leave for Arsenal.
He’s taken to the Premier League quickly and has been one of the brightest sparks in a disappointing season.
Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn believes the Gunners will need to ensure that Mikel Arteta is kept at the club in order to sign Odegaard.
Speaking to Goal, he explained that the youngster likely wouldn’t join if Arteta leaves.
Winterburn said: “He probably wants assurances that Arteta is going to be in charge because he wouldn’t want to sign for a different manager.”
