Ozil willing to forgo part of £7 million owed to him by Arsenal to leave in January

Mesut Ozil is willing to forgo a part of the £7 million owed to him by Arsenal in order to leave the club on a free transfer in January, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

The German playmaker has six months remaining on his contract with the Gunners and has been heavily linked with a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce. The club’s president recently admitted that Fenerbahce are closer to signing Ozil than in the past and his agent hinted that a move could be sealed this month. 

Arsenal’s number 10 is prepared to leave the North London club without receiving a portion of the remainder of his salary which stands at £350,000 a week. His camp is currently in talks with Fenerbahce and DC United but if he were to leave the Gunners this month, the only realistic destination would be Fenerbahce. 

The former Real Madrid man was left out of the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads this season. It is understood that he was not informed of this decision until shortly before the summer transfer window shut in October. This gave him very little time to secure a move away from the club which, in part, is why he remained in North London for the first half of the 2020/21 campaign.

If the World Cup winner’s representatives are able to find a suitable agreement with Arsenal and Fenerbahce, he is likely to leave North London this month. If all parties are unable to reach an agreement, he will see out his contract at the Emirates and leave on a free transfer in the summer.