Barcelona reportedly discussed the possibility of signing Arsenal star Mesut Ozil earlier this summer, before prioritising the transfer of Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho.
The Germany international has less than a year to run on his current contract at the Emirates Stadium, leading to some speculation over his long-term future at the club.
However, unlike team-mates Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil has not attracted a huge amount of interest this summer, with some reports claiming he could be close to renewing with the Gunners.
Still, it has also emerged that he came on to Barcelona’s radar earlier on in the transfer window in a proposed swap deal involving Turkish midfielder Arda Turan, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The 30-year-old has not managed to establish himself as a regular in his time at the Nou Camp so far, and has been linked with Arsenal and other Premier League clubs in the past.
On this occasion, however, the two clubs could not reach an agreement and the prospect of Ozil moving to Barca never went any further.
Various reports now claim the Catalan giants are closing in on a £148million move for Coutinho, following another costly purchase in the form of Ousmane Dembele.
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Barcelona have plenty to spend after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for £199m this summer, and it is little surprise to see them go after players in a slightly higher bracket than Ozil.
For all the 28-year-old’s quality, he has often been criticised for his lack of effort and for disappearing in big games during his four years in English football.
Ozil previously shone for Barcelona’s arch rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, establishing himself as one of the top creative midfield players in the world, and one who would seemingly be ideal for Barca at his peak.
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