Mesut Ozil completes free Istanbul Basaksehir transfer just 29 MINUTES after Fenerbahce rip up contract two years early
MESUT OZIL has been announced as an Istanbul Basaksehir player – just 29 MINUTES after having his Fenerbahce contract ripped up.
The ex-Arsenal star, 33, only joined Fenerbahce 18 months ago but had his contract ripped up on Wednesday.
Ozil hadn’t played for the club since March when he was “excluded” following a row with then-interim boss Ismail Kartal.
The former Germany international only played 37 times across his season-and-a-half in Turkey.
And on Wednesday he was finally released after his contract – which still had two years to run – was terminated.
A Fenerbahce statement read: “It has been agreed that the contract between our club and Mesut Ozil will be terminated by mutual agreement.
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“We wish Mesut Ozil success for the rest of his career.”
Incredibly, Ozil was announced as an Istanbul Basaksehir player less than half an hour after the news of his exit.
The Turkish club shared a post on Twitter which simply read, “@M10,” – Ozil’s handle.
The tweet was accompanied by 35 seconds of a popular Turkish song called Kir Zincirlerini.
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Istanbul Basaksehir are one of the most ambitious teams in Turkey and have made a host of big-name signings in recent years, including Robinho, Demba Ba and Emmanuel Adebayor.
They finished fourth in the Turkish Super Lig last season and famously beat Manchester United 2-1 in the 2020-21 Champions League group stage.
Ozil scored just nine times – adding three assists – during his 18-month stay at Fenerbahce.
The 2014 World Cup winner had joined his boyhood club after having his £350,000-a-week Arsenal contract terminated six months early.
But his relationship with the club soured just a year into his stay.
After his rift with Kartal, Ozil insisted he wanted to “contribute” to the team, but also unfollowed them on social media.
The news of his Fenerbahce exit and Istanbul Basaksehir moves comes just weeks after he slammed the “fake news” surrounding his future.
Ozil had ranted: “I wanted to make this statement in order to prevent the discrediting of myself in the public and to inform our community correctly.
“First of all, I make my preparations individually with a special program, and I patiently wait for my time to come in order to meet my childhood love and contribute.
“I did not come to Fenerbahce and my homeland Turkey for a holiday. Every time I sweat our glorious jersey, I have no other purpose than to contribute.
“I have many goals that I would like to live in Fenerbahce, my childhood love. I will not quit football until I do these things.
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“Both me and my club are going through a process inherent in football. It is my greatest desire to serve my beloved Fenerbahce by getting through this process in the best way possible.
“My request to our fans is that they do not give credence to the fake news in the media.”