Mesut Özil has agreed with Arsenal to end his contract with immediate effect

Mesut Özil and Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle to terminate his contract, David Ornstein can reveal.

The 32-year-old is expected to travel this weekend to complete a move to Fenerbahçe after a deal was agreed with the Turkish club.

Mesut Özil was scheduled to earn around £7 million between now and the end of his contract in June. A deal has been reached in principle, however, for an early termination.

What has Mesut Özil previously said about his future?

In an interview with The Athletic, the midfielder previously stated his intention to remain until the end of his terms. He explained that it was because he still wanted to play for Arsenal and believed it would happen.

What changed?

Mesut Özil was omitted from the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads for the first half of the season — a decision he is said not to have been told about until shortly before the last transfer window shut on October 5, by which point there was little time for an exit to be arranged.

With no anticipation from either party of Özil being registered for the second half of the campaign, he finally became open to departing the Emirates Stadium.

Where will he go?

Fenerbahçe. There is an obvious appeal for Özil and his family, given their Turkish roots and links.

The Athletic understands Fenerbahçe have reached an agreement in principle to bring Özil in as a free agent.

Why were Arsenal open to his departure?

Mesut Özil became the highest-paid player in their history when he signed a new three-and-a-half year contract in 2018, worth roughly £350,000 a week.

Since then — and especially following the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign as manager — his involvement has become increasingly limited, initially under Unai Emery and then Mikel Arteta.

He has not been selected since March 7, 2021 and with one of Arsenal’s main priorities in the previous and current transfer markets being to slim down Arteta’s squad, their clear desire is for Özil to go.

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