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Barcelona deal for Mesut Ozil in doubt

The German international is running out of contract in the summer of 2018 which is why he will be available for a bargain in January.

Mesut Ozil's Barca deal in doubt

Barcelona, November 23: It was reported that Barcelona had agreed a deal in principle with Arsenal for the transfer of Mesut Ozil in January but the deal looks off the table now.

Spanish newspaper 'Sport claim' Nou Camp transfer guru, Raul Sanllehi, who has agreed to move to Arsenal, has "closed" the deal for the German playmaker.

However, the deal still awaits the approval of his fellow board members of Barcelona who are unsure if the German would be a good signing or not.

Barcelona are desperate to bring in a top-quality attacking midfielder in January, having missed out on Philippe Coutinho who is still believed to be the first-choice of the Catalan giants.

Sanllehi has been in London to negotiate with Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut, as well as his agent. However, Barcelona sporting director Pep Segura, who ultimately has the final say, is not convinced.

The German international is running out of contract in the summer of 2018 which is why he will be available for a bargain in January. Just £20million could get them a top-notch playmaker where as Coutinho is likely to cost around £150 million if not more.

However, Ozil is now 29 whereas Coutinho is 25 and the German will not be a long-term fix to their issues which is why Barcelona are sceptical about the deal.

Fellow director Robert Fernandez and manager Ernesto Valverde will also have their say on whether they think his arrival would be in the club's best interests.

Coutinho remains their prime target, but Sanllehi believes they would have more success pursuing Ozil due to Liverpool's resistance to part with their star Brazilian.

Ozil is also attracting interest from Manchester United and Arsenal might like to cash in on him in January than to lose him for nothing next summer as they are also likely to lose Alexis Sanchez next summer as well.

Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2017, 11:44 [IST]
Other articles published on Nov 23, 2017