LIVERPOOL tried and failed to sign Martin Odegaard last summer.
That’s according to former Hull City and Russia boss Leonid Slutsky, who claims Odegaard snubbed Jurgen Klopp in order to keep his dream of playing for Real Madrid alive.
Odegaard, 21, was just 16 years old when he secured a stunning move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, the Norwegian failed to hit it off and ended up going to Dutch side SC Heerenveen on loan for 18 months.
Odegaard found his feet in the Eredivisie and eventually linked up with Slutsky at Vitesse Arnhem in the summer of 2018.
The attacking midfielder enjoyed a terrific season there, and Slutsky claims both Liverpool and Ajax made bids for Odegaard in July 2019.
However, the youngster snubbed their interest for a loan move to Real Sociedad, allowing him to remain a Los Blancos player.
Odegaard has gone on to shine for the La Liga side, and Slutsky is now backing the talent to break into Zinedine Zidane’s starting XI next term.
Slutsky confirmed: “Odegaard’s time at Vitesse has been very important.
“He became one of the best players in the Eredivisie and had many offers in his pocket, not only from Real Sociedad but also from Liverpool and Ajax.
“It is an honour to have had a share in Martin’s growth as a footballer.
“It was a big challenge for me to kind of resurrect his career.
“Martin, his agent and I reached an agreement quickly. He had to take a step forward because Vitesse were a stronger team than Heerenveen.
“It’s clear that Real will decide his future with him by the end of the season. Could he stay with Sociedad for another year? I don’t know.
“I’m sure that Odegaard is ready to play for Real now. When I saw him play for Sociedad at the Bernabeu I realised he definitely has the quality to play for Real.”
