Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has denied that Martin Odegaard's omission from his squad ahead of the new LaLiga season is confirmation that the midfielder will be leaving the club.
However, Ancelotti, who did not register Odegaard or Dani Ceballos or defender Jesus Vallejo for Madrid's first match of the campaign at Alaves, did admit that the 22-year-old playmaker has competition for his spot.
The 22-year-old playmaker has been linked with a return to Arsenal, where he spent the second half of last season on loan, and ESPN has reported that Madrid would be willing to accept €45 million for the player.
- Which LaLiga team should you root for? Pick here!
- LaLiga on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewers' guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
"The issue with Odegaard not being registered -- like Vallejo -- isn't a technical decision," Ancelotti said in a pre-match news conference on Friday. "It's a circumstance of the moment. We can't register everyone in this period. Tomorrow it could change. The deadline is Sept. 2."
He added: "Odegaard has done well, I've spoken to him. I've told him that in central midfield there's a lot of competition, we have eight very important players there. That's all.
"It isn't discarding Ceballos, Vallejo and Odegaard definitively. We had to register two players for the game and I chose [Gareth] Bale and [Luka] Jovic. It's temporary."
Odegaard was unhappy at a lack of opportunities at Real Madrid last season under previous coach Zinedine Zidane -- after returning from a hugely successful loan at Real Sociedad -- and asked to leave midway through the campaign, joining Arsenal in January.
Ancelotti took over after Zidane's resignation in June, for his second spell in charge at the Bernabeu.
Only David Alaba has been added to the squad so far on a free transfer, while last season's first-choice centre-back pairing Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane have both left -- but Ancelotti insisted he's happy with the players at his disposal.
"The squad is good but the market ends on Aug. 31," Ancelotti said. "I can't confirm today that we won't do anything until the end of the market, because it could be that some players ask to leave. We'll see what happens. But I like the squad as it is."
Ancelotti also refused to comment on speculation linking Madrid with Kylian Mbappe, a long-term target for president Florentino Perez, who has a year left on his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
"I don't like talking about players who aren't here," he said. "I like this squad a lot. It's a good mix of veterans and youngsters... It doesn't seem right to me to talk about those who aren't here."
The Italian coach praised Bale, who spent last season on loan at Tottenham -- calling him "a great player... if he does well, he'll play" -- and said that Eden Hazard is "in good condition. He's ready."
Real Madrid kick off the 2021-22 season away at Alavés on Saturday looking to improve on their second-placed finish behind local rivals Atletico Madrid last campaign.