After months in exile, Mesut Ozil is finally free to leave Arsenal.
The World Cup winner has reached an agreement with the Gunners to terminate his contract, ending a roller-coaster seven-and-a-half-year stay in London, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
Despite reported interest from MLS outfit DC United, the 32-year-old is now expected to join Fenerbahce — the club he supported as a child — on a free transfer. Ornstein reports a deal is in place, and the move could happen as early as this weekend.
Ozil wrote on Twitter that the United States and Turkey were the “two countries I want to play football in before I retire.”
The agreement concludes a once-happy marriage between club and player.
Ozil arrived at Arsenal on September 3, 2013, the final day of a record-breaking summer transfer window in England. The north London side agreed to pay a club-record £42.5 million to sign the midfielder from Real Madrid, a sign of intention in the transfer market that sent Arsenal fans into a frenzy.
Ozil helped Arsene Wenger and Co win the FA Cup in 2013-14, their first piece of silverware in nine years. And in 2015-16, the playmaker nearly set a new Premier League single-season assists record, falling one short of Thierry Henry’s mark with 19.
After signing a contract extension in 2017 worth a reported £350,000/week, Ozil began to fall out of favor. Wenger left the club, and successors Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta used the midfielder sparingly.
Ozil’s last appearance as an Arsenal player came on March 7 in a 1-0 win over West Ham. He was omitted from Arteta’s 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the 2020-21 season and dropped from Europa League consideration.