- Arsenal look likely to lose Mesut Ozil on a free transfer at the end of the season
- However, pundit Mark Lawrenson doubts Manchester United would sign the German
- This could mean Ozil ends up moving abroad rather than strengthening a major rival
- READ MORE: Manchester United hopes of sealing Mesut Ozil transfer given boost by unlikely source
Arsenal may have been given a reassuring message over the Mesut Ozil transfer saga as pundit Mark Lawrenson does not believe Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho would sign him.
Reports from the Mirror last month suggested Ozil was confident his move to Old Trafford would go through, though the 29-year-old has also been linked with other possible suitors.
Turkish source Sabah say Ozil has also held talks with Fenerbahce, while a more recent update from the Mirror claimed Barcelona were in a commanding position to win the race for his signature.
Arsenal would not want to see the Germany international move to a Premier League rival, but Lawrenson has poured cold water over the speculation as he does not believe a move to United would be a good fit at all.
‘I don’t think Mourinho would take him,’ Lawrenson told BBC Sport, as quoted on The Sport Review.
‘I’m pretty certain he wouldn’t take Ozil. He wouldn’t fit into the Mourinho blueprint of a player.’
Lawro clearly doesn’t know Ozil and Mourinho’s history…
Ozil has, however, shone under Mourinho in the past when the pair worked together at Real Madrid, with the Portuguese a known fan of the playmaker.
‘Ozil is unique. There is no copy of him, not even a bad copy,’ Mourinho said in 2013, as quoted by the Mirror.
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‘He is the best No.10 in the world. He makes things very easy for me and for his team-mates with his football vision and the decisions he makes.
‘Everyone loves him and sees a bit of Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane in him.’