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Mesut Ozil deal surprised Arsenal defender

Nacho Monreal admits his surprise that Real Madrid were willing to sanction Mesut Ozil's £42.4m move to Arsenal on transfer deadline day.

Arsenal full-back Nacho Monreal has admitted that the deadline-day deal which brought Mesut Ozil to the Emirates took him completely by surprise.

Ozil became Arsenal's club-record signing on transfer deadline day, leaving Real Madrid in a £42.4m switch to the Premier League.

Monreal has revealed that he is still shocked Real Madrid allowed a "star" player to leave the Bernabeu in his prime, while sharing his delight at being in the same side as the German playmaker.

When asked if he was shocked by Arsenal's late swoop for Ozil the defender told Marca: "Speaking for myself, yes.

"Mesut is a star and Real Madrid is full of stars. I didn't think Real would let him go, but we're chuffed to have him."

The Spanish international is currently with Vicente del Bosque's squad preparing for a pair of friendlies, with Equatorial Guinea and South Africa their opponents over the next three days.

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