Real Madrid have won the race for rising German star Mesut Ozil, as the they announced today that they have reached a deal for the Werder Bremen playmaker.
Thanks in part to impressing at the 2010 World Cup, as he played a key role in helping Germany finish third in South Africa, Ozil was linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Real this summer, and with only one year left on his contract with Werder Bremen, it’s looked like a certainty that he would depart for one of those destinations before the end of the summer. At one point, it looked like Barcelona were at the head of the queue for Ozil’s signature, but a lack of serious action by the other potential suitors allowed Real to swoop in and land his services.
Real made an initial £10m offer for Ozil last week that was quickly rejected, and yesterday, Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs said that the 21-year-old would be taking part in Wednesday’s Champions League playoff tie against Sampdoria if no deal had been reached by then, which would have significantly decreased his value to any prospective buyer.
The Spanish giants acted swiftly, agreeing a fee believed to be £11.5m. Ozil will become Real’s fifth summer signing, and he is the second up and coming German talent to arrive at the club this month, following the €12m signing of midfielder Sami Khedira from VfB Stuttgart.
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