Barcelona are reportedly prepared to abandon their pursuit of Mesut Ozil because they fear his ‘busy nightlife’ will get in the way of his football in La Liga.
Barca were said to be considering Ozil as a cheaper alternative to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and are reportedly willing to hand Arsenal £20m for the playmaker in January.
However, according to Sport, the La Liga giants are now considering pulling the plug on the move as they’re concerned the German will become to ‘new Arda Turan’.
Turan, who signed for Barca from Atletico Madrid in 2015 and has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, has only made 55 appearances for the Catalans and is yet to feature at all this season.
Barca chiefs are also said to be concerned that Ozil’s wages will cause a rift in the dressing room as they allegedly plan to pay the 29-year-old €19m-per-year – the same as Luis Suarez.
The latest reports are similar to the claims Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, made after Ozil left the La Liga giants for Arsenal in 2013.
Perez claimed the playmaker was “obsessed with women”.
“Mesut discovered the world and became obsessed with women, a world that was alien to him before,” he said.
“It wasn’t about the women but about the late nights, the hours spent not sleeping. He wasn’t a good professional.”
He also insisted that Ozil couldn’t handle the pressure at Madrid, saying, “The player asked to leave and nobody here should be upset about it.
“He couldn’t handle the pressure at Madrid.”
These comments have been public for four years. So why Barca would only be concerned about Ozil’s alleged extra-curricular activities now is anybody’s guess.
Mesut Ozil said of Real Madrid’s comments, that they deny, “People know how professional I am and this is what counts. All the rumours, I don’t care about them. I have a new task here. I’m just looking ahead. I am in London now.
“I would have come here without a fee, that wouldn’t have been a problem. The most important thing for me is that the manager trusts me, that I can get trust from him. This was the crucial point for me and this is why I have come here. He trusts me.
“When I spoke to Arsene on the phone, he was full of respect and as a player I need that. I feel that here, that is why I came here. I don’t want to talk about Real Madrid, my time there was great but that topic is over.”