Fenerbahce president Ali Koc says Mesut Özil’s transfer is closer than ever, but still might not happen if he can’t resolve issues with Arsenal.

ST ALBANS, ENGLAND - JULY 25: of Arsenal during a training session at London Colney on July 25, 2020 in St Albans, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
ST ALBANS, ENGLAND: Mesut Özil of Arsenal during a training session at London Colney on July 25, 2020. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

In the last few weeks, Mesut Özil has increasingly been linked with a January transfer to Turkish club Fenerbahce, particularly in the country’s local media.

Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, sports correspondent for TRT Spor, claimed contract termination negotiations were underway between Özil and Arsenal. BeIN SPORTS reporter Mert Yuksektepe reported the move to Fenerbahce was done on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Özil’s brother Multu even posted a picture of the Fenerbahce badge on his Instagram story, along with a winking emoji.

Yet Fenerbahce president Ali Koc says the media are getting ahead of themselves. He admits a deal is closer than in the past, but there are still many loose ends to tie up.

“Let me make a statement about (Mesut) Özil. I am still saying it’s a dream,” Koc insisted. “If you are aware, we as the Fenerbahce Sports Club, never made a single statement about this.

“What’s important here is that Mesut can address the issues with his present club. We can say that this (transfer) is a subject that we are closer to in comparison to the past.

“There isn’t a single thing that is finished, it may end or it may not end. Therefore, these types of stories being published in the press make our hand weaker. We will see what the days ahead will show us.”

When Koc references ‘the issues with [Özil’s] present club’, he’s presumably implying that contract termination negotiations with Arsenal are still ongoing.

That’s no small matter, with reports suggesting he could demand as much as €8m to cancel the deal.

Hopefully, they can find a compromise. It would be better for all parties to find a constructive solution so Arsenal can move on, Özil can get playing again after 10 months without a game, and Fenerbahce can continue their title charge.