Real Madrid have blocked Martin Odegaard's loan to Real Sociedad and want him to join Arsenal, says Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
The player himself wanted to return to Real Sociedad, where he impressed on loan last season.
"Real Madrid see Real Sociedad as a rival and they don't want to help them," said Balague.
"They are sixth in the table, three points off the top four. If they think they are fighting for the same thing, which is Champions League qualification, then it doesn't make sense to strengthen a rival."
After returning to the Bernabeu in the summer following his Real Sociedad loan, it seemed Odegaard might become a first-team regular under Zinedine Zidane, who coached him in the B team when he first joined the club in 2015 and is now in charge of the senior side.