Arsenal respond to ‘approach’ for key star with ‘next to zero chance’ of another Gunners player leaving

According to reports, Arsenal have responded to an ‘approach’ from a European giant for Martin Odegaard, who has been linked with FC Barcelona.

Odegaard has surpassed expectations at Arsenal following his move from Real Madrid, cementing himself as a key player in recent years and becoming their club captain.

However, Odegaard has had a difficult 18 months as injuries have impacted him. He has been out of action with a shoulder injury in recent weeks, though he is due to return after the international break.

While Odegaard has been unavailable, it has emerged that he could leave Arsenal in 2026 as he is attracting interest from several European giants.

At the end of last month, a report claimed Barcelona have added Odegaard to their shortlist of transfer targets ahead of next summer’s transfer window, with it reported that they believe he is ‘ready for a major career change’.

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Now, it has been reported that the Spanish giants face competition from Serie A side Inter Milan, with an account on X with over 680k followers and a ‘team of five elite reporters’ claiming they have had an ‘approach rejected’ for Odegaard.

They said on X: ‘Exclusive: Arsenal Football Club reject Inter Milan approach for Martin Ødegaard.

‘The club sources state: ‘𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲’.’

And a report from journalist Mark Brus for The Daily Briefing has revealed that the Gunners have the same verdict about Myles-Lewis Skelly.

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The 19-year-old enjoyed a remarkable breakout season for Arsenal last season, with the talented defender establishing himself as one of the best young footballers in Europe.

However, Lewis-Skelly has only been a bit-part player this season as Riccardo Calafiori has moved ahead of him in the pecking order. This has seen the teenager be removed from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this month’s international break.

Lewis-Skelly’s fall from grace is said to have alerted Arsenal’s Premier League rivals, with Sky Sports reporting that he is ‘being monitored’ by rival clubs.

However, Brus has insisted that the Gunners are unwilling to let him leave in the winter.

He explained:

‘I’m told there is “next to zero chance” of Arsenal letting him go this January. The fact that there’s the World Cup next summer adds layers of complexity to the transfer market this year, there’s no doubt about that, and of course we know Lewis-Skelly hasn’t been starting games as often this season due to the excellent form and continued fitness of Riccardo Calafiori.

‘However, everyone I’ve spoken to is saying all the same things, so unless something dramatic changes in the coming weeks, I think we can probably write this off as a saga.’