Mesut Özil would reportedly prefer to move to Manchester United than Barcelona, if he does end up leaving Arsenal in January or next summer.

The Daily Mail write that Özil has told friends that he wants a move to Manchester, and plans to turn down any new contract offers from Arsenal, as they aren’t matching his £300k-per-week demands.

The German international has been linked with United for a while now, mostly due to the Jose Mourinho connection, as the pair worked together at Real Madrid.

Although, the Daily Mail’s claim that Ozil would leave for more money in Manchester is a bit odd, considering previous rumours suggested the Red Devils weren’t willing to pay the amount he was asking for.

Also, I personally stop believing an article as soon as it says anything about a player telling their friends something.

If the World Cup winner does talk to his friends about his next career move, you’d think they wouldn’t run to the Daily Mail to spread the news. They wouldn’t be very good friends if they did.

Whether you believe the claims or not, there are two-and-a-half weeks before any non-Premier League club can talk to Özil about a free transfer, without even having to get Arsenal’s permission.

Now is the time to reach a conclusion and stick to it.