Arsenal transfer news: Messi knows Ozil's destination, Spanish expert on N'Zonzi move and more - 15th December 2017

Messi knows Ozil's next destination

The Arsenal playmaker is in the final year of his contract and is unlikely to renew it before the January transfer window opens. Once the window opens, he will be free to agree to a pre-contract with any foreign clubs, giving the likes of Barcelona a great chance to sign him for free later in the summer.

The Catalan side were reportedly considering the 29-year old as an alternative for their no.1 target, Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho. Now, Spanish news outlet, Don Balon, state that Lionel Messi has an idea where the German World Cup winner will end up, and it is not Barcelona. The Argentine has reportedly been told that Ozil prefers to join Jose Mourinho at Manchester United. The pair has worked together at Real Madrid and are reportedly looking to rekindle their relationship.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has reiterated that Ozil will stay at the Emirates at least until the end of the season. He told:

"I don't know how close but he will stay here until the end of the season for sure. The rest is open."

Thus, Ozil is set to help Arsenal's cause until the end of the season at the minimum.

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Spanish expert rules out any Steven N'Zonzi move to Arsenal

N'Zonzi to not join Arsenal in January.

The Sevilla man fell out with manager Eduardo Berizzo after the Spanish club's match against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. He subsequently missed a training session and openly stated that his relationship with Berizzo is beyond repair and that he will be looking to move to a new club in the coming year.

Recently, reports credited Arsenal for securing the deal for the Frenchman by agreeing to pay his £35.2 million release clause. The same question was put forth by Spanish football expert, Guillem Balague on his Q&A session on Sky Sports and he said:

“The situation with Steven N’Zonzi is that Sevilla want to sell him. There was fall-out between Eduardo Berizzo and N’Zonzi, and Berizzo does not want him to return. He is not willing to let him return to the line-up – Pizarro is doing well in his position but this is mainly a discipline issue."

“Sevilla want to sell him, he’s got a buy-out clause of €40m and they will accept between €30m and €35m. However, I understand Arsenal are not interested as they feel it would add to what they already have. At this moment in time, Sevilla have not received an offer for him."

Thus, this should clarify things and keep things down for a while till the window actually opens.

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Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck not signing contracts yet

Welbeck (right) and Ramsey (left) want Ozil's and Sanchez's futures resolved first

The duo wants the futures of Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to be resolved before committing their long-term futures to Arsenal, as per The Times. Both Ramsey and Welbeck are willing to bide their time as Arsene Wenger tries to tie down the star duo to new contracts.

The comparatively younger duo have contracts which expire in 2019. Thus, they are not the immediate priority for the London club. However, the report states that Arsenal expects the contract talks with Ramsey could prove to be as tough as the wantaway duo of Ozil and Sanchez.

On the other hand, former Manchester United striker, Welbeck, is reportedly happy and is willing to commit his long-term future but wants to see how Sanchez and Ozil's futures pan out first. Either way, if Arsenal do not tie down Ramsey's and Welbeck's futures before the end of this season, then a scenario similar to this season could repeat in the 2018/19 season as the duo will be in the final year of their respective contracts. Thus, it is imperative for the Gunners to resolve the contract situation of not only Ozil and Sanchez but also that of Ramsey and Welbeck.