Özil to sign deal with Istanbul's Fenerbahce: reports
January 6, 2021
The German footballer is the Premier League club's highest-paid player ever. According to Turkish reports, he is in advanced talks to join soccer club Fenerbahce later in January.
Mesut Özil's contract with Arsenal runs out at the end of the seasonImage: Paul Terry/empics/picture alliance
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German midfielder Mesut Özil is in advanced talks to join Istanbul's Fenerbahce club, Turkish media reported on Wednesday.
Özil is expected to sign a three-and-a-half year contract with the Turkish club, according to the Demiroren news agency.
The 32-year-old, who helped lead Germany to its 2014 World Cup victory, added fuel to the rumors by tweeting an old photo of himself in Istanbul.
Turkish sports daily Fanatik reported that the chairman of Fenerbahce and its team director had flown to London to personally recruit Özil.
Other outlets reported that Özil was in talks with American team DC United, in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Özil's agent said his priority was to stay with the London-based Premier League team, but that his future should become clearer within the next 10 days.
"Mesut's priority is to stay, but you never know in football, things can change very fast," Erkut Sogut told ESPN. "For the moment, we are just checking all the options for January and the summer."
"In the next seven to 10 days, it will be a little clearer as now the transfer window is open, things can move faster," he added.
The real Mesut Özil story
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Özil moved from Real Madrid to Arsenal in 2013 and is now the highest-paid player in the history in the Premier League club's history, reportedly earning £350,000 (€387,000, $480,000) a week.
However, he has not played since March 2020 and coach Mikel Arteta does not appear to have included him in plans for either the Premier League or the Europa League matches for the next six months.
Özil's contract runs out at the end of the season, however Arsenal is looking to cut its numbers in January.
German exports to the Premier League
While the wait for the Bundesliga continues, the Premier League begins this weekend, with up to nine Germans potentially involved in the opener. New faces and big names, here are Germany's Premier League representatives.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Ruiz
The loanee
After losing his Schalke spot to emerging young talent Alexander Nübel, Ralf Fährmann has left his boyhood club to try and make his mark in England, for a season at least. His new coach calls him "still one of the best German keepers" but the former Schalke captain will have to displace Dutch international Tim Krul between the sticks for newly promoted Norwich City.
Image: Getty Images/S. Pond
The newcomer
That coach's name is Daniel Farke. The Norwich boss joined the Canaries from Borussia Dortmund's reserves two years ago and secured a surprise promotion, and league title, last season. The 42-year-old has installed a German spine to his team, and Fährmann is joined in the squad by seven playing compatriots.
Image: Reuters/A. Holt
So many Germans
Onel Hernandez, Dennis Sbeny, Christoph Zimmermann, Tom Trybull, Marco Stiepermann, Philip Heise and Moritz Leitner may not be household names in Germany but at the club in the east of England they and their coach have their own song: "All the Germans, so many Germans, they all go hand in hand, hand in hand through their Farke-life." To Blur's 'Parklife' in case you didn't pick it.
Image: Reuters/A. Holt
The title winner?
Jürgen Klopp is another man who inspires song in his admirers, in his case there's plenty of both. After securing a Champions League winner's medal and breaking his long trophy drought last season, the Liverpool coach wants the same thing as the fans - to end the 30 year wait for the Premier League title.
Image: Reuters/C. Recine
The one with plenty to prove
What is realistically expected of Shkordan Mustafi this season? Firstly, to make fewer mistakes. The center back, 27, has become a figure of fun at Arsenal and the signing of David Luiz from Chelsea is likely to send him further down the pecking order. Rumors of interest from Monaco have swirled in recent days.
Image: Getty Images/M. Regan
The number one
Bernd Leno stands in contrast to Mustafi as the established first choice for his position at Arsenal. The goalkeeper took a while to displace now-retired Petr Cech last term before making the spot his own. He's now taken the No. 1 jersey and will be hoping to improve a leaky defense.
Image: Getty Images/M. Regan
The opinion divider
But the best know of Arsenal's German contingent remains Mesut Özil. The playmaker divides opinion like few others, some see a lethargic luxury and others a skilled footballer with vision beyond compare. The truth, as always, is somewhere in between. The 2014 World Cup winner is still yet to win a trophy with the Gunners and must also win the trust of coach Unai Emery.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Ruiz
The talk of the transfer window
Will he or won't he? Endless transfer talk was devoted to whether or not Leroy Sane, the Premier League's young player of the year in 2017-18, would move to Bayern Munich. The skillful winger seemed to have lost the trust of Pep Guardiola towards the end of last season, making a transfer possible. But a cruciate ligament injury seems to have put an end to any move, for now at least.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Davy
The metronome
Despite winning the domestic treble with Manchester City last season, Ilkay Gündogan's future looked uncertain, with contract talks stalling despite his increased importance to Pep Guardiola's side. The midfielder showed great adaptability to perform a deeper lying role last term without losing any of his influence and duly signed a new four-year deal just before the start of the season.
Image: Imago Images/Action Plus/J. P. Fletcher
The man under the radar
Pascal Gross spent two years at Ingolstadt before joining Brighton and Hove Albion when the German outfit were relegated in 2017. The 28-year-old has become a regular in the Seagulls midfield, with his dead ball delivery proving a key weapon for a side who have battled against the drop. How Gross fits into new coach Graham Potter's system is, for now, an open question.
Image: Getty Images/M. Atkins
The recuperated
Though Chelsea's 2018-19 season ended in Europa League glory, Antonio Rüdiger was forced to watch it from the stands as a result of a knee injury which required surgery. The center back looks set to be a key man under new coach Frank Lampard, especially with the departure of David Luiz. He will also hope to nail down a place in the national team, which he hasn't quite achieved yet.
Image: picture-alliance
The talent
A strong dribbler who's confident on the ball in tight spaces, for a long time Max Meyer was one of German football's great hopes for the future. He made his Schalke debut at 17 and was in the national team a year later. Since then, things have stalled a little. His free transfer to Crystal Palace didn't quite work out last year and his last Germany cap was in November 2016.
Image: Getty Images/M. Atkins
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Turkish broadcaster A Spor reported Özil would join the 19-time Turkish champions later in January, where he would reportedly earn about a quarter of his current salary.
Fenerbahce is one of Istanbul's three big clubs and is currently placed fifth in the Super Lig. It has suffered from financial woes in recent years.
