Transfer Centre

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil talks up Fenerbahce move

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 11 January 2021

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil reveals that he wants to play in Turkey before he hangs up his boots, but the only club he would be willing to sign for is Fenerbahce.

Arsenal outcast Mesut Ozil has claimed that Fenerbahce are the only Turkish club he would be willing to sign for amid speculation over his future.

The 32-year-old is expected to head for the Emirates exit door this month, with Fenerbahce and DC United the two clubs believed to be in talks with his entourage.

Fenerbahce president Ali Koc recently hinted that a January deal for Ozil could indeed come to fruition, and the playmaker has added fuel to the fire by talking up a move to the Istanbul-based team.

Responding to fans during a Twitter Q&A session, Ozil said: "I grew up as a Fenerbahce fan as a kid in Germany - every German-Turkish person supports a Turkish team when they grow up in Germany.

"And mine was Fenerbahce. Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in my country. There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey and the USA. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce."

Ozil has not made an appearance for Arsenal since March 2020 after being left out of Mikel Arteta's Premier League and Europa League squads for the 2020-21 campaign, and he now has six months left to run on his Gunners deal.