Mesut Ozil confirmed on Turkish television his transfer from Arsenal to Fenerbahçe.
The game comes after the 32-year-old said goodbye to his Gunners’ companions at the club’s training ground in London Colney on Saturday.
Ozil now travels to Turkey before a medical examination, with the formalities scheduled for the next few days.
Speaking to NTV, Ozil said: “I am very happy. I am a Fenerbahçe fan. God wanted me to play football at Fenerbahçe. I am proud.
“I am coming to Istanbul with my family tonight, thank God that gave me the opportunity to represent this club. I will wear the shirt with pride. “
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
He also changed his profile picture on Twitter to a picture of his initials ‘MO’ in Fenerbahçe colors – blue and yellow.
The 32-year-old has not played for the Gunners since March and his £ 350,000 per week contract was set to expire at the end of the current season.
He will have a significant reduction in payment for joining Fenerbahçe and will likely sign a three-year contract worth £ 65,000 a week.
But he will receive a huge £ 4.5 million signing bonus.
Ozil was expected to leave the January transfer window and could sign for another club as a free agent if the final details are resolved smoothly.
Having started the first 10 games under Mikel Arteta after his appointment in December 2019, Ozil has not played since the 1-0 win over West Ham before the coronavirus pandemic stopped football.
(Image: Instagram @ m10_official)
He was omitted from Arsenal’s Premier League and Europa League teams, with Arteta and technical director Edu insisting that the decision was for football reasons.
Ozil was criticized in some sectors when he refused to accept a salary cut over the summer, without football and Arsenal looking to balance the accounts.
He had signed his contract in January 2018 to become the highest-paid player in club history, but now he leaves for free.