Arsenal transfer news: will Mesut Ozil take Andres Iniesta’s place at Barcelona?

Barcelona are set to have a player clear-out at the end of the season but who will the La Liga champions bring in during the summer?

The Daily Star claims that the Catalan club are “weighing up a move” for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil. The German signed a lucrative new deal at the Emirates in February, but his underwhelming performances since then mean his future is now in jeopardy.

Quoting Spanish sources, the Star says that Barcelona see former Real Madrid star Ozil as the man to replace Andres Iniesta, who has declared his intention to leave the club. As a result they’re prepared to “swoop in and attempt to lure the star to the Nou Camp this summer”.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Ozil cost Arsenal £42.5m when he signed from Real Madrid in 2013.

Ozil’s agent slams pundit Keown

Arsenal midfielder Ozil has come under fire because of his recent performances. One pundit in particular – former Gunners defender Martin Keown – said the German playmaker “didn’t deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt”.

Goal.com reports that Ozil’s representative, Dr Erkut Sogut, has launched a “scathing attack” on Keown.

Dismissing Keown’s credentials as a pundit and a player, Sogut said: “I think that Martin Keown feels that just because he used to play football, it gives him the right to attack the current generation of stars. Perhaps he just wants to remain relevant, or maybe it is due to jealousy?

“Is he envious about the money and exposure that current footballers have? I don’t know. But to sit there and criticise... time and time again, it’s getting a bit boring, in all honesty.”