Mesut Ozil has been targeted by Juventus to help them in their quest for the Serie A title.
The German midfielder is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season, and looks no nearer to signing a new deal.
That means the Gunners could well be forced into shipping him out to the highest bidder this month – and the Italian giants have entered the race.
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Italian newspaper Corriere Dello Sport reports that Juventus are “monitoring the German star” and believe that his “friendship with Sami Khedira” could put them in pole position.
But Juventus’ biggest challengers to the signing could be Manchester United – where Ozil would renew acquanitance with his old boss at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho.
SunSport has previously reported how Mourinho has given the decision makers the green light to push ahead with a £25m raid for the German this month.
Mourinho wants a deal this month but is said to fear a bidding war with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Both sides remain keen on the 29-year-old playmaker, who has settled into a fine run of form for Wenger.
And now with Juventus seemingly in the race, things are hotting up on the transfer front.
United’s owners, the Glazer family, are said to be prepared to hand Mourinho £80m to splash this month – however other reports have claimed to the contrary.
A £35m move for Ozil would therefore still be under half his allotted funds for the start of 2018.