It's impossible to give up Odegaard for another season Real Madrid Carlos Carpio's opinion

Martin Odegaard has been playing at an outrageous level week after week for Real Sociedad, and it quickly becoming clear that La Real will be unable to hold on to the Norwegian playmaker beyond this season.

Having gone to San Sebastian on a two-season loan from Real Madrid, with Los Blancos having the option to bring him back after one campaign, Odegaard's growth has been quicker than anyone could have expected.

It will be impossible for Real Sociedad to keep hold of the best attacking midfielder in LaLiga Santander this summer because Real Madrid can't afford to give him up and let him leave on loan for another season.

All they have to do is convince him that his time has come, that he will be important and that he will play for a very simple reason: there is no one else like him.

It's not that the boy has knocked the door down, it's that he has come in and made himself the king of the house.

On Sunday, Odegaard continued his fine form, with a Lionel Messi-esque free-kick goal that stunned the crowd at El Sadar, while he also provided a wonderful assist for La Real's opener.

Last week, too, he showed that he is ready for the big stage as he was the outstanding player in Real Sociedad's 2-2 draw with Barcelona at the Reale Arena, but this time it was Osasuna who were on the receiving end of another Odegaard masterclass.

He did everything and he did it well. No matter how poor the pitch at El Sadar was, the ball was stuck to Odegaard's left foot as he zigzagged through the defenders and found solutions at every turn.

Seeing him permanently lead Real Sociedad's attacks at just 21 years old - he only turned 21 on December 17 - and being the revelation of this LaLiga Santander campaign to this point makes one wonder just how much Real Madrid would have to pay for him now, had they not stolen him away from Pep Guardiola's grasps for just two million euros in 2015.

Odegaard would likely cost more than the 86 million euros Barcelona paid for Frenkie de Jong in the summer, a good midfielder whose performances have thus far been short of the Norwegian's level.

At Real Madrid, they know that they have a diamond and they are already counting down the days until they can see him regularly in action in their famous white shirt.