Varden was the first to signal Glimt’s interest in Bjørtuft on Tuesday. Now the case has developed so rapidly that only formalities stand in the way of completing the transition.
Molde made several offers for Bjørtuft this summer, but Odd rejected all offers, at the latest after the transfer window closed.
Odds sports manager Morten Rønningen and Bodø/Glimt sports manager Håvard Sakariassen did not answer TV 2’s questions.
Nettavisen reported on Wednesday that Glimt had accepted an offer for Marius Høibråten from Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds. Bjørtuft arrives as his replacement.
The transfer amount is not yet known, but there is reason to believe that it is in the double-digit number of millions of crowns. Molde’s biggest offer this summer is said to have been around NOK 12 million.
– A good signature
TV 2 football pundit Jesper Mathisen thinks Glimt and Bjørtuft are a good match.
– Odin Bjørtuft has been wanted for a long time and I think this will be a great signing for Bodø/Glimt. They get a stopper who has his best years ahead of him and also has qualities that should fit perfectly with the way Bodø/Glimt wants to play football.
Under-21s: Odin Bjørtuft has age-specific caps for Norway. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / BILDBYRÅN
– With solid performances in Kjetil Knutsen’s crew, this is also a player who can make the step up to a bigger league in a couple of years, and will naturally be a player who will be very difficult for Odd to replace.
TV Expert 2: – Glimt gets stronger
Mathisen believes Glimt’s new signings show they have learned from last year’s Champions League qualifiers.
– Bodø/Glimt saw against Dinamo Zagreb in CL qualifying last year that they lacked breadth in their squad, and if they had a stronger bench, I think it would have been the yellows who finished in the Champions League.
– Now, obviously, players will disappear from Kjetil Knutsen’s squad, but there is no doubt that in 2023 they will field a stronger squad than they had in 2022, and they must do so even if they want to play as they hope for, says the expert of TVs 2.
