Get Guardian on GoogleMesut Ozil has revealed he plans to play his football in Turkey or the United States when he does eventually exit Arsenal.
The German has been heavily-linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium during the last two transfer windows and has not played for the north London side since March last year.
He took part in a Twitter question and answer session on Monday and dropped plenty of hints about his next destination, with Fenerbahce and DC United reported to be among the teams leading the chase for his signature.
With only six months left on his terms with the Gunners, the 32-year-old was asked if he will continue his career when his contract at Arsenal runs out.
Ozil replied: “I definitely will. There are two countries I want to play football in before I retire: Turkey and USA. If I went to Turkey, I could only go to Fenerbahce.”
Fenerbahce remain a very short 1/8 to sign the playmaker in the January transfer window, with the Turkish club reportedly keen on completing a deal this month.
Rumours previously circulated that Ozil was in discussions with DC United, and a move to any MLS team was as short as 1/5 last week, although those odds have now drifted significantly to 8/1.
A move to either Turkey or the USA was fancied before Ozil’s admission, but a potential switch now looks increasingly likely with the midfielder still not a part of Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Ozil, a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014, won the FA Cup three times during his time in north London, although wasn’t a part of their most recent success under Arteta in August.
He also helped Arsenal reach the final of the 2019 Europa League, where they were heavily beaten by Chelsea.
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