Barcelona Reportedly Offer Arsenal €20m Plus Player Deal for North London Derby Hero Mesut Ozil

Barcelona have reportedly made a 'first offer' to Arsenal for contract rebel Mesut Ozil in a potential deal that would include a player heading in the opposite direction from Camp Nou.

Rumours emerged last week that Barça have identified Ozil as a more attainable option than primary target Philippe Coutinho, who Liverpool still insist is not sale at any price, given his expiring Arsenal contract and therefore low likely fee in January.

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Should the Catalans be willing to wait and Ozil not sign a new Gunners deal, of course, he could move for free in the summer. But the speculation suggested Barça want to reinforce this season.

According to Don Balon, the opening offer for Ozil isn't believed to be more than €20m, lowered by the apparent inclusion of out-of-favour midfielder Andre Gomes as part-exchange.

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The 24-year-old Portugal international was signed by Barça for a fee of €35m rising to €55m shortly after his triumph at Euro 2016. He was seen as one of the top new talents in Europe following his impressive form at Valencia, but has since failed to establish himself at Camp Nou.

Gomes' innate quality is not in doubt, but it may be that a fresh start somewhere else is what he needs to kickstart his once very promising career. It may be that Arsenal, under the guidance of Arsene Wenger, is the perfect destination for him.

But in light of his performance in the North London Derby at the weekend, Gunners fans may be more keen for Ozil to sign a new deal instead. The German shed his reputation of a big-game shirker and put in a stunning all-round performance to show his importance to the club.