Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard had been linked with a temporary switch to Rennes. JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images

Rennes will not make a loan move for Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard in January because they do not believe he is ready for top-flight football, president Rene Ruello has said.

Odegaard, 18, was a target for the Ligue 1 club in the summer but the deal did not go through due to administrative problems.

The Norway international -- who has made only one La Liga substitute appearance for Madrid -- attended Rennes' game against Saint-Etienne at the start of December, sparking speculation that a loan move was back in the offing.

But Ruello told the Pleine Lucarne show on TVR that coach Christian Gourcuff had vetoed a switch.

"Christian looked and said to us: 'Right now he's not ready, he needs to work,'" he said.

"If we have him for six months, he's not going to play, or very little, so there's no interest in doing it.

"If we have him for 18 months, we're going to get him up to speed and he'll leave after that. Rennes aren't here to bring through players for other clubs."