Report: Man United, Barcelona Interested in Signing Mesut Ozil Next Summer

Barcelona and Manchester United are interested in signing Mesut Ozil when his Arsenal contract expires in summer 2018, Goal report.

The German became Arsenal's record signing when he arrived from Real Madrid in 2013, but the club and player have been unable to agree on a contract extension during their talks over the last year. As it stands, Ozil is able to leave the club for nothing at the end of June, and will be able to talk about signing a pre-contract agreement with other clubs from January.

Ozil and teammate Alexis Sanchez find themselves in similar situations contractually, though the report goes on to claim the Chilean has "no intention" of committing to Arsenal by penning a new deal. Sanchez has been linked with the likes of Manchester City, United, and Chelsea, as well as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Sanchez is all but certain to leave the Emirates, though the report states that Ozil's situation isn't quite so clear cut. Reports that he recently turned down a new £275,000-a-week deal are claimed to be false, and Ozil has just bought a new house in London - meaning he is open to staying.

United manager Jose Mourinho has worked with Ozil at Real Madrid in the past - the European champions are another club the player would be interested in joining - and the two share a healthy relationship. While Ozil has revealed the Portuguese once labelled him a "coward" in a dressing room row, Mourinho wrote the foreword in a book recently released by the player.

Mourinho is open to bringing the player to Old Trafford, though there is understood to be a little bit of reluctance on the player's part to move to Manchester, and is set to make a play for him as he looks to bring in a number of new additions for next year. Ozil would however consider a move up north.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are looking for more creativity in their midfield. They failed with several offers for Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho in the summer, and Ozil could be seen as a more affordable option.