Arsenal round-up: Ozil hints at staying; Barcelona ready to let Turan go; club don’t expect to lose Bellerin

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Mesut Ozil is one of the many players to have an uncertain future, with his contract approaching its final year. Arsenal are keen to keep him at the club and have been in discussions over a new deal, but an agreement has yet to be found. In his interview with the club’s official site, he hinted that he is going to stay at the club after talking with excitement about the pre-season tour of Australia:

“I hear Sydney is a nice city with a lot of nice people living there. I don’t know a lot about Australia but this is a good opportunity to see the city, the people and I’m really happy to go there with Arsenal.

“It is really good to have pre-season with the team, in my career it has always been like that.”

Although it is difficult to take too much from an interview with the official site, due to the bias, these quotes are encouraging and will feel Gunners’ fans with hope that the German will stay. He had a disappointing season during the 2016/17 campaign and it could be that there isn’t that much interest in him. That said, he has always seemed happy with Arsenal and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he stayed.

Arda Turan has been heavily linked with Arsenal in the recent weeks and Spanish outlet Marca are reporting that he is free to leave Barcelona this summer. There has been discussion that the Gunners have lodged a £26.3 million bid, which is a good offer for the player. He has three years left on his contract and that will allow the Spanish club to ask for a good sum for the Turkish international. Inter Milan are also interested in a transfer.

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Arsenal need to bring in proven quality this summer to ensure they challenge at the top end of the division next season. Turan has had a couple of disappointing seasons with Barcelona, but he remains a quality player and he would improve the Gunners’ team. The price is slightly high considering his age, but it may be worth paying as he would represent a good signing.

Meanwhile, the rumours regarding Hector Bellerin and Barcelona refuse to go away, but the Independent report that the Gunners have told Los Cules that the right-back isn’t for sale. They expect him to remain in North London, despite the Spaniard emerging as one of Ernesto Valverde’s priority targets.

The right-back would cost a significant sum if he was to leave and that may cause a problem for Barcelona as their finances will be stretched, especially if they sign Marco Verratti.

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There is clear interest from Barcelona and this could be a saga that continues to run throughout the summer. The La Liga side will be hoping that the player pushes for a move and that brings down the price tag, but it isn’t clear whether they will be successful in their pursuit. If Bellerin did leave the club, it wouldn’t be the biggest blow as he was underwhelming during the most recent campaign and ended the season out of the team.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane