The next Martin Odegaard is on Arsenal's radar but transfer faces one complication | OneFootball

Arsenal reportedly have an eye on a player who’s been compared with club captain Martin Odegaard as they’re linked with Eirik Granaas.

The 16-year-old looks like an outstanding prospect as he’s already playing first-team football with Fredrikstad, and he’s been on Arsenal’s radar for almost a year.

That’s according to the Sun, who also claim that RB Leipzig are interested in Granaas, who is from Drammen, the same city as Odegaard.

It seems clear that the teenager is going to be one to watch in years to come, so Arsenal would do well to move for him quickly if possible.

Arsenal would have to wait to sign Eirik Granaas

Eirik Granaas in action

One issue, however, is that Brexit rules mean Arsenal would not be able to sign Granaas until he turns 18, as noted in the Sun’s report.

That might end up favouring any other European clubs that come into the equation, while somewhere like Leipzig generally looks like a good destination for young players like this anyway.

The Bundesliga side have done great work in recent years when it comes to developing young players and giving them a chance to play before cashing in on them for significant profit.

Perhaps a more likely scenario here is that Granaas goes to somewhere like Leipzig first, and ends up being a target for Arsenal again later on in his career if he continues to progress well.

The Gunners could do with investing in more young talent, however, as one area they’ve struggled in in recent times is making enough money from player sales.

Building a competitive team is one thing, but in the modern era of Financial Fair Play it’s also vital for clubs to be able to sign players on the cheap and then sell them for more money later in order to balance the books.