Arsenal are aiming to hand captain Martin Odegaard a new contract in the near-future, according to reports.

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Odegaard’s current deal expires in 2025 and Mikel Arteta is keen to secure his skipper’s services for the long-term as he has done with other key Arsenal players.

Over the past few months, the Gunners have rewarded the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli with new contracts, with the forwards set to stay at the Emirates until at least 2027.

Now, it seems Odegaard is next in line, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the club are ‘planning to continue talks over a new long term deal’.

Negotiations are ongoing and are set to carry on over the next few weeks or even months.

The 24-year-old first joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid in January 2021, completing a permanent move to north London the following summer for a fee of around £30million.

The attacking midfielder has grown into one of the club’s most important stars both on and off the pitch and was handed the armband by Arteta ahead of last season following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He very nearly captained his side to the Premier League title last season but managed to win his first piece of silverware with the Gunners in August after beating Manchester City on penalties in the Community Shield.

To date, Odegaard has scored 26 goals and made 15 assists in 110 games for Arsenal and should next be in action for them next Sunday when they travel to Everton.

Before then, he’ll be skippering his nation on Tuesday when Norway host Georgia in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier.

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