Borussia Dortmund Line Up Shock Move for Playmaker Mesut Ozil Amid Arsenal Chaos

Borussia Dortmund are on the lookout for an Ousmane Dembele replacement, after the 20-year-old French forward was sold to Barcelona for an initial £96m, and the club is apparently lining up a shock move for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.

The German international has entered the final year of his contract, yet was widely expected to stay at the Emirates Stadium for the 2017/18 season, as speculation of a move away has waned in recent weeks. 

Yet Dortmund have cash to burn following Dembele's exit and are now eyeing up a move for Ozil, according to The Sun.

Having joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013, Ozil has regularly divided opinion between fans of the Gunners, with his creative strength often wrestled out of the limelight by his seemingly low work-rate and inconspicuousness in big games.

With Mario Gotze still to make a full recovery from metabolic disturbances, Dortmund have been in the market for a new creative midfielder and, with 42 Premier League assists in four years, Ozil could be the man to fill the gap.

A potential sticking point in any move could be Ozil's historical ties with Dortmund's rivals Schalke. The 28-year-old is from Gelsenkirchen and came through Schalke's academy before leaving for Werder Bremen in 2008.

Arsene Wenger is confident that Ozil will stay at the Emirates, yet the German has had a frustrating start of the season, climaxing in an Instagram post that he posted after the Gunners' 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis Sanchez potential departures in the next few days, Arsenal fans will be worried to lose another star player and any exit for Ozil would likely heighten the strain between the club and its fanbase after a poor start to the season.