Turkish club president admits he would do anything to sign Arsenal's "assist-king"

Istanbul Basaksehir president Goksel Gumusdag has admitted he “would do anything” to sign Mesut Ozil should the midfielder leave  Arsenal in January.

The Germany international returned to action for the Gunners on Saturday to skipper his side in their 3-1 victory over Burnley in the Premier League.

Should Arsenal hang on to Ozil? Five things to know…

1. Ozil is a versatile playmaker who can thrive across the final third, on either wing or more centrally.
2. The German’s creativity is unparalleled in the Premier League.
3. He was named the Premier League’s “assist king,” when he became the fastest player to reach 50 league assists.
4. Ozil has been criticised for his low work rate at the other end of the pitch and his lack of movement off the ball.
5. The player’s attitude has also been called into question recently. In the summer Arsenal players criticised his approach to “picking and choosing” games.

Ozil, 30, seems to have fallen out of favour with Unai Emery after being dropped for their Carabao Cup clash against rivals Tottenham midweek.

The Gunners suffered a painful 0-2 defeat to Spurs, and Ozil looked determined to show Emery precisely what his team selection was missing on Wednesday evening with a fantastic performance in the final third against Burnley.

Despite the playmaker’s return to the first team, speculation in the media is still ongoing over his long-term future in north London.

Basaksehir president has made his desire to sign the 30-year-old very clear and would apparently do “anything’ to secure his services.

“Mesut Ozil is a precious player,” Gumusdag said, as quoted by Bild. “I hope one day our paths will cross at Basaksehir. If he wants to be with us as well, we would do anything to get him.”

Emery remains tight-lipped about such a move, and insists the German is still needed at the club and the manager appears to still value his qualities.

“I want every player with a good mentality to help us,” Emery told Goal. “He can give us his quality and his characteristics. We need Mesut Ozil.

“Every player wants to play and help the team when we need them. The frustration is the same for everybody when they haven’t played a match.

“I have told him what we need from him. He has the commitment to help us and the quality and the characteristics to help us when the team need him on the pitch.”

READ MORE: Dream, realistic, wildcard, Squawka Suggests: Where next if Arsenal really do offload Mesut Ozil?

Could Basaksehir sign Ozil? 

Basaksehir already have former Gunners Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Adebayor among their ranks, but Ozil commands a hefty salary, pocketing £350,000 per week with Arsenal and would cost Basaksehir around £30m to sign him. A lot of money when the club’s most expensive player, Edin Visca, is only valued at £9m.

The Turkish side are currently top of the Super Lig table – six points clear of Trabzonspor – and directors at the club have close ties with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who knows Ozil, too.

Ozil was pictured alongside Erdogan prior to the summer’s World Cup in Russia, which led to an avalanche of controversy in Germany, ultimately motivating Ozil to retire from international football – citing racism over his Turkish heritage as the primary reason.

However, despite being held in high regard by the Turkish outfit, Ozil is not over the hill just yet and if he moves anywhere it will probably be to another top European team, with Inter Milan and Juventus in hot pursuit of the Premier League’s “assist king”.

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