Mundo Deportivo have Mesut Ozil splashed across their Tuesday front page, along with the claim he’d cost €20m.
As part of what seems a never ending quest to find Coutinho alternatives, Mundo Deportivo say Barcelona have found out they can sign Ozil for €20m in the January transfer window.
The German’s contract with Arsenal ends in June and there doesn’t seem any sign he’s keen to renew that right now, which puts Arsenal in a difficult situation. Despite that, a fee of €20m still sounds on the low side, but the Catalan newspaper say that’s what Arsenal are prepared to sell for.
It’s not an amount that makes it a no-brainer for Arsenal, and if they sold Ozil for €20m then it surely wouldn’t go down well with many fans of the club. With a great performance against Tottenham at the weekend, Ozil is once again a protected species among Gunners and, contract ending or not, €20m doesn’t seem like a great deal of money.
Even if just from a pride perspective.
From Barcelona’s perspective, it sounds like a great deal. Ozil is available for the Champions League, and at 29 years of age isn’t quite in the winter of his career yet.
Given a reserve fullback can easily cost €20m in the current market, the same amount for Ozil would be a steal. The added inspiration of playing for Barcelona could also mean the Arsenal player is at his very best form more often than not.
€20m? Good for Barca, not so great for Arsenal.