Barcelona’s board are split over a move for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil despite an £18million deal being ‘practically closed’, according to Sport.
The Spanish outlet report that Raul Sanllehi, the Nou Camp transfer guru, met with Ozil’s representatives in London to work out a deal and it is now all but done.
Sanllehi, who Sport previously reported is close to becoming Arsenal’s director of operations, now has to convince the rest of the Barca board that Ozil is a good signing for the club.
There are concerns about Ozil’s price tag and his social life, with Barca expecting to pay £18million for a player who only has a few months left on his contract.
Further worries relate to Ozil’s relationship with other players, an issue that reportedly led to the German’s exit from rivals Real Madrid.
Good move for Arsenal?
It seems almost inevitable that Arsenal will lose Ozil one way or another. It all now depends on what the club want to gain from the player’s last few months in a Gunners shirt.
Either they cash in for the touted £18million, and reinvest that money somewhere else, or they retain Ozil for the rest of the season and let him run down his contract.
If the board decide they want to sell the playmaker, then this would seem a decent option, as they should be looking to ship Ozil off overseas, rather than see him playing for a domestic rival.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
If this report is to be believed, then yes. But the Spanish press are famously unreliable, especially when it comes to Barcelona and Real Madrid.
If the Barca board look past these reported issues, and decide that Ozil would be a good signing, then things could move fast.
Sanllehi’s recent links to the Gunners would surely help negotiations along, and Arsenal will want to find a replacement for the German as soon as possible.
However, if Nacho Monreal is to be believed, then Ozil may in fact stay in north London until the summer, which would rule out any immediate deal with Barca.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10