'Beast' Haaland needs to come to Arsenal, says friend Odegaard amid Man City links

Martin Odegaard has joked that his international team-mate Erling Haaland must sign for Arsenal if he chooses to join a Premier League club during the summer transfer window. 

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A day after Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland's picture donning an Arsenal strip as a teenager went viral, international teammate Martin Odegaard has encouraged the striker to sign for the Gunners if he chooses to join a Premier League club during the summer transfer window.

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The 21-year-old Norwegian, who has a 63 million-pound release clause in his contract with the Bundesliga team, is one of Europe's most sought after strikers and has been heavily linked to Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side appears to be inching toward signing Haaland as City look to bolster their attack ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Image Credit: Twitter (L); Getty Images (R)

An old photo of Haaland donning a yellow Arsenal kit from the 2010-11 season as a teenager sent fans into a frenzy on social media on Monday. Current Arsenal star and his Norway national teammate, Martin Odegaard, has given his verdict on the prospect of the striker moving to Emirates Stadium in the future.

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Speaking with Stadium Astro, Odegaard said, "He's a funny guy, a good guy and he's a good friend of mine a great player as well of course so we will see what he will do I don't know. If he comes to England he needs to come to us of course but I don't know what he will do but he is a great guy."

"To be honest we haven't talked too much about it, I know he has so many people trying to ask him and to tell him what to do and I don't want to do that. He's a beast he's strong, he's fast, I think he has everything I think he can play in every league in every country to be honest," Odegaard added.

Recent reports revealed that Haaland had agreed to a deal that would see him earn more than 500,000 pounds a week with Man City, making him the highest-paid player in the Premier League above potential teammate Kevin De Bruyne. The striker has scored 25 goals in all competitions for Dortmund this term despite having missed large swaths of the campaign through injury.

That form follows seasons where the Norweigian netted 57 goals in Germany since he switched from Austrian team RB Salzburg in January 2020. Meanwhile, Haaland has also scored 15 goals in just 17 international appearances.

Meanwhile, Arsenal is in desperate need of a regulation striker. It appears more and more likely that Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah may leave the club on a free transfer when their contracts expire this summer. 

The Gunners are discussing a potential move for Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus as he could be forced further down Guardiola's pecking order following the arrival of Haaland.