Arsenal are reportedly looking to sacrifice Mesut Ozil in a swap deal to sign Real Madrid superstar Isco in the January transfer window
According to a report by The Independent, Arsenal are stepping up their pursuit of Isco, and are preparing a tempting offer for Real Madrid to part ways with the Spaniard. The Gunners are prepared to offer Mesut Ozil as part of a swap deal to land the 26-year-old, who is also a target for Manchester City and Chelsea.
Mesut Ozil and Isco often seem like two sides of the same coin. Brimming with talent and promise, a lack of consistency has stopped both players from achieving their true potential, although both have also achieved varying levels of success with their respective clubs.
However, the current season might just be the last that Ozil and Isco turn out for Arsenal and Real Madrid, respectively. While poor fitness and a lack of work-rate is proving to be the undoing for Ozil, Isco is out-of-favour with Santiago Solari, and is failing to win over the new manager.
Unsurprisingly, both players are facing uncertain futures at their respective clubs. While Ozil did start for Arsenal in their 3-1 win over Burnley, he is being heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates ahead of the January transfer window.
Isco, on the other hand, has a bevy of suitors in his pursuit, including Arsenal, who also have Manchester City and Chelsea for company in the race to sign him in the winter transfer window. The Blues are reportedly leading the chase for the Spaniard, but Arsenal are now set to offer a colossal deal to swoop him away from Real Madrid.
The Gunners are willing to offer Ozil as part of a swap deal to land Isco, and beat Manchester City and Chelsea to his signature. The German playmaker is a tough proposition to offload, owing to his staggering £300,000-a-week wages, which are unlikely to be matched by most clubs.
However, with Real Madrid valuing Isco at around £100 million, Arsenal might have to pay an additional fee to land the 26-year-old, which poses a problem. While they can simply replace Ozil’s wages with those that the Spanish international will earn, the fact that they will be operating on a limited budget in January could pose a problem.
Additionally, it is unclear is Real Madrid are open to bringing Ozil back to the Santiago Bernabeu, something the report fails to mention, while the German might not be the ideal replacement for Isco either.
As things stand, there are lots of ifs and buts involved in a swap deal seeing the light of the day. But, it remains to be seen if Arsenal are able to land Isco in Ozil’s stead, and beat Chelsea and Manchester City to the Spaniard’s signature.