Ozil in Istanbul for transfer to Fenerbahce

By Hilmi Sever and Suha Gur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Arsenal football player Mesut Ozil arrived in Istanbul in a private jet Monday to discuss his transfer to the Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Ozil and his family were welcomed by two members of Fenerbahce's board of directors, as well as the club's sporting director Emre Belozoglu, in Istanbul, where he will remain under quarantine in line with precautions against the novel coronavirus.

Speaking to Fenerbahce's TV network FBTV, Ozil said he had always been a fan of the Istanbul side and that his transfer was "a dream come true."

A German national of Turkish descent, Ozil said he is looking forward to wearing the Fenerbahce jersey and would respond to fans' excitement with his skills on the field.

For his part, Belozoglu welcomed the player and said he hoped Fenerbahce would win trophies in the coming period with Ozil's help.

Canaries fans eagerly waited for Ozil's arrival as over 300,000 people watched his flight on online tracker Flight Radar.

Ozil joined Arsenal in 2013 after three successful seasons with Spanish giants Real Madrid, during which he helped the Los Blancos win a La Liga title, as well as a Spanish Super Cup.

With 44 goals and 77 assists in a total of 254 games in England, he played a critical role as the Gunners won four FA Cup trophies and reached the UEFA Europa League final in a span of six years.

However, amid a dip in form and fractious relations with current manager Mikel Arteta and his predecessor Unai Emery, Ozil has gone from having limited playing time to being completely frozen out of the Arsenal first team.

Left out of this season's Premier League and Europa League squads, Ozil has not made an appearance for the London side since March.

Separately, the 32-year-old midfielder also helped his native Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas