Barcelona could reportedly switch their attention to Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil if they fail in their bid to sign Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho.
The Catalan giants have been strongly linked with a move for Coutinho for months, but Liverpool’s disinterest in parting ways with their influential ace has resulted in a frustrating pursuit.
According to The Express, Ozil could now emerge as an alternative if the Coutinho move collapses, even though the German international appears set to stay at the Emirates.
Question marks will continue to be raised about his future as he has just 12 months remaining on his current contract, but all the noises he’s making on social media and with the media as a whole, suggests that he’s ready to stay in north London this summer and beyond.
While it’s added in the report that Arsene Wenger also has no interest in selling the Arsenal star, a bid of £53m from Barcelona could change their stance very quickly as that’s a huge sum for a player with such a short period left on his contract.
Ozil enjoyed a decent season with Arsenal last year, albeit with tough periods and heavy criticism from supporters and pundits at times. The 28-year-old contributed 12 goals and 14 assists to Arsenal’s season, and he’ll be hoping for better this year as they aim to improve in the Premier League.
He could now be handed a new challenge though and a return to La Liga if Barca’s interest is real, and there would surely be no doubts about his ability to fit in given that his technical quality would allow him to make a real difference at the Nou Camp.