Mesut Ozil’s agent has raised the possibility of the German leaving Arsenal in January, although the north London club are adamant they have yet to enter into serious discussions with any interested party.
Ozil has not played for the Gunners since March and wasn’t even registered by boss Mikel Arteta to be part of his 25-man Premier League squad for the first half of the season.
The World Cup winner’s agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, has always been insistent, however, that the playmaker would not leave Arsenal until his contract expires in the summer.
But amid reports in Turkey suggesting Ozil is close to a move to Fenerbahce and suggestions he could be heading to the United States with D.C. United, Sogut has now revealed that a January exit could be a possibility.
In an interview with ESPN, Sogut said: "We were not allowed to talk legally before January 1 so now we are just starting to look at the options with the numbers and details.
“I can't talk about the clubs directly because it would be unprofessional but generally, there is six months left on the contract and it is nothing unusual that we will talk to people about different opportunities and try to find the best option for Mesut.
"He might stay at Arsenal until the summer but he might go. Mesut's priority is to stay but you never know in football, things can change very fast. For the moment, we are just checking all the options for January and the summer.
Getty"If we want to leave in January, I need to talk to Arsenal. If we sign for the summer, we don't need to. That's the situation. In the next seven to 10 days, it will be a little clearer as now the transfer window is open, things can move faster."
Arsenal have been desperate to get Ozil, who earns £350,000 a week, off their books for the past two seasons, but have been unable to convince him to leave.
Clubs in the Middle East have shown an interest in the former Real Madrid star, who moved to north London from the Bernabeu in 2013 and has won four FA Cups during his time with the Gunners.
The Arsenal hierarchy are willing to do what they can to help facilitate a move before the end the January window and are in regular dialogue with Ozil’s representatives to try and find a solution.
Sources have confirmed to Goal that Ozil has been given some time off recently to try and help move things forward in his search for a new club.
He is back now, however, and despite the reported interest from the likes of Fenerbahce and D.C. United, Arsenal have yet to be contacted by any club to discuss a potential transfer.
Should contact be made in the coming days, Arsenal would not be looking for any transfer fee for the 32-year-old, who has less than six months remaining on his deal.