Arsenal ‘looking to cash in on contract rebel Mesut Ozil in January’ with Inter Milan circling
ARSENAL are ready to listen to offers for Mesut Ozil in January fearing he will not sign a new contract with the club.
Ozil is in the last year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium and talks over a new deal have shown no sign of progressing.
Now the Gunners are set to let him leave mid-season to avoid losing the Germany World Cup winner on a free transfer, according to the Mail.
Arsenal are already facing the prospect of star man Alexis Sanchez walking away from the club without a fee next summer once his contract runs out.
And they do not want to be in a position where they fail to receive any money for another top player.
Italian giants Inter Milan have already admitted an interest in signing the 28-year-old, who moved to North London from Real Madrid in a £42.5million deal in 2013.
And now Manchester United have emerged as another side who would be keen to snap him up, with boss Jose Mourinho signalling he would want to link up again with a player he managed at Real.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been strident in his attempts to ensure Sanchez remained at the club until the end of the season despite his desire to leave.
Latest Arsenal transfer talk
But he appears to be less vocal on the need to keep Ozil in his squad, with the midfielder failing to make the kind of impact hoped for since joining the club.
Ozil struggled for form in the first month of this season and was roundly criticised for his poor display in the 5-0 defeat at Liverpool.
He was then hit with a knee problem which kept him out for three weeks, and made a return off the bench in the win over West Brom.
But he was absent again on Sunday as Arsenal beat Brighton - and the improved run of form the Gunners have shown has come without the German in the side.
There are no guarantees he will be an automatic selection when the Premier League campaign resumes after the international break - an indication of how much he is struggling for form.
So the prospect of allowing Ozil to leave in January for fee of around £20m is one that is growing more attractive to the Gunners as the season goes on.
Inter chairman Erick Thohir has been quoted in the Italian press as saying they were "definitely" interested in taking the playmaker to the San Siro.
United's interest is genuine, but Gunners boss Wenger may find it hard to sanction selling Ozil to one of his Premier League rivals mid-season.
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