Arsenal’s Mesut Özil set for Fenerbahçe move

ISTANBUL

Arsenal’s German midfielder of Turkish origin, Mesut Özil, has agreed to a move to Istanbul club Fenerbahçe, Turkish media reported on Jan. 6.

Özil will sign a three-and-half-year contract with the Turkish Süper Lig club, but Arsenal will pay his wage for the rest of the 2020-2021 season, Demirören News Agency reported.

According to TRT Spor, Fenerbahçe has reached a deal with a major sponsor to cover the expenses of the 32-year-old player’s transfer.

His current contact with Arsenal, which expires in June, reportedly earns the playmaker approximately 350,000 pounds ($470,000) a week, which would make him one of the best earners in the Premier League.

U.S. business magazine Forbes listed him as one of the highest paid athletes in the world in 2020. He was one of just 14 footballers to be included on the list and came in at number 49, ahead of basketball player Kyle Lowry and golfer Jordan Spieth, as well as Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann.

Fenerbahçe was rumored to be interested in Özil in the past, with club chairman Ali Koç calling it “a dream hard to come true.”

He was even touted for a switch to the Süper Lig club at the beginning of 2020 by Gunners teammate Mohamed Elneny.

“Mesut really loves Fenerbahce,” Elneny, who was on loan at Besiktas at the time, told beIN Sports.

“He’s always speaking about the club and the fans. If you ask me, I think he could come to Fenerbahce. He’s always trying to annoy me by singing Fenerbahce chants.”

A native of Gelsenkirchen, Özil is in his seventh season with the Gunners since a 47-million-euro move from Real Madrid. In 254 appearances for the club, he has scored 44 times. With Arsenal, Özil has won three FA Cup titles.

A product of the Schalke academy, he has also played at Schalke and Werder Bremen.

Internationally, Özil was capped 92 times by Germany and was a member of its 2014 World Cup-winning side.