Manchester United are reportedly set to offer Mesut Ozil a way out of the Emirates in January, as the German’s contract enters its last few months.
According to Miguel Delaney of the Independent, United will approach Ozil in January and offer him a pre-contract, which would see the World Cup-winning midfielder then join the club for free in the summer, in what is known as a Bosman transfer.
A Bosman transfer is when a club agrees a contract with a player at another club who has six months or less remaining on their current contract — that player then joins them for free upon the expiry of that current deal.
Ozil’s Arsenal contract, which he shows no signs of renewing, runs until the 30th of June 2018, meaning that he would be free to join United for no fee on the 1st of July.
To sign a player of such quality without spending a penny would be a huge coup for United, especially in a World Cup year, as it is often more difficult to bring in big talent early in the transfer window as many players are committed to national team duties and are unavailable to negotiate transfers.
United have an opportunity to land one of the best playmakers in Europe without having to haggle with him during his World Cup campaign in the summer — assuming he will be in Germany’s squad for Russia 2018.
Jose Mourinho and Mesut Ozil have worked together before, at Real Madrid, where the German was one of the key components of Real’s immense attacking side and really established himself as one of the best in the business.
