The Athletic David Ornstein reports that Arsenal and Mesut Ozil have reached an agreement over the early termination of the German’s contract.
EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal & Mesut Ozil have an agreement in principle to terminate contract with immediate effect + end his 7.5yr #AFC career. If all goes to plan Fenerbahce expect 32yo to travel this weekend & complete move to #FENER as free agent @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/b9JCDK3miJ
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 16, 2021
This means the 32-year-old is free to secure a move to Fenerbahçe during the January transfer window, and will bring an end to his career at the Emirates.
The developments come after progress was made in talks between Arsenal technical director Edu, Fenerbahce director Emre and Ozil’s agent. The Gunners made it clear they wanted Ozil to leave in January.
Ozil’s wages – he currently earns around £350,000 per week – are not expected to be a problem, and it is thought he will forego a portion of the outstanding pay on the remainder of his Arsenal contract.
Since joining from Real Madrid in September 2013, Ozil has made 254 appearances for the club, scoring 44 goals and making 77 assists.
He was part of the team for the FA Cup final wins in 2014, 2015, and 2017 – but missed out the 2020 FA Cup final having been left out of the squad following lockdown.
The German magician has been on the fringes of the club for long and was left out of Mikel Arteta’s final team for 2020/2021 Premier League and Europa League squads.