Arsenal and Mesut Ozil have reached an agreement in principle to terminate his contract, report agencies.
The 32-year-old is expected to travel this weekend to complete a move to Fenerbahce after a deal was agreed with the Turkish club.
Ozil was scheduled to earn around £7 million between now and the end of his contract in June. A deal has been reached in principle, however, for an early termination.
In an interview with The Athletic, the midfielder previously stated his intention to remain until the end of his terms. He explained that was because he still wanted to play for Arsenal and believed it would happen.
Ozil was omitted from the club's Premier League and Europa League squads for the first half of the season — a decision he is said not to have been told about until shortly before the last transfer window shut on October 5, by which point there was little time for an exit to be arranged.
With no anticipation from either party of Ozil being registered for the second half of the campaign, he finally became open to departing the Emirates Stadium.
Fenerbahce. There is an obvious appeal for Ozil and his family, given their Turkish roots and links.
The Athletic understands Fenerbahce have reached an agreement in principle to bring Ozil in as a free agent.
Ozil became the highest-paid player in their history when he signed a new three-and-a-half year contract in 2018, worth roughly £350,000 a week.
Since then — and especially following the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign as manager — his involvement has become increasingly limited, initially under Unai Emery and then Mikel Arteta.