Mesut Ozil’s contract with Fenerbahce was canceled, and he has since been named a new player for Istanbul Basaksehir. Due to a disagreement with manager Ismail Kartal, the midfielder was removed from the Fenerbahce squad, and the club announced on Wednesday that he had gone. The 33-year-old Germany international was swiftly pegged as the favorite to sign with Basaksehir, who also stated that they have a contract in place for him.
Fenerbahce announced Ozil’s departure in a statement that read: “It has been agreed that the contract between our club and Mesut Ozil will be terminated by mutual agreement… We wish Mesut Ozil success for the rest of his career.”
Meanwhile, fellow Super Lig team Basaksehir have already wrapped up a deal with the ex-Arsenal star. The club posted on Twitter a quote that president Goksel Gumusdag made about Ozil to Bild in 2018. The quote reads: “One day our paths will cross in Basaksehir”. In that interview, the president added: “If he wants to come, we will do everything we can to get him.” Basaksehir followed up by tagging Ozil in a post confirming that an official announcement on the playmaker is on the way.
Ozil joined the Turkish giants from Arsenal in January 2021, signing a contract that was scheduled to expire in the summer of 2024. However, he was unable to live up to expectations at the club and was subsequently dropped from the squad due to a falling out with Kartal. Fenerbahce made a change in manager this summer, bringing in Jorge Jesus to take over, but the Portuguese admitted that there would be no place in the team for Ozil. He told reporters: “He is a well-known player around the world. But I will follow exactly what was the end of the Ozil era.” The 33-year-old leaves the club having made 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals.