Sir Alex Ferguson is the clear front-runner for the Werder Bremen playmaker, readying a bid of up to £12m to bring his top target to Old Trafford.
Bremen are bracing themselves for a swoop before the transfer window closes at the end of August and expect United to follow up their interest with a firm offer.
United chief executive, David Gill, revealed this week that money is available to sign a world class player.
And having scoured the talent at this summer’s World Cup, Ferguson believes Ozil has the potential to be the long-term successor to Paul Scholes and boost his bid to regain the Premier League title.
The 21-year-old was one of the stand-out performers in South Africa, helping Germany reach the semi-finals and he played a key role in their 4-1 demolition of England.
But he is available at a cut price with Bremen worried they will lose him for nothing when he is out of contract at the end of the season.
Real Madrid are also monitoring Ozil, but Jose Mourinho is ready to wait until January to negotiate in the hope of signing him on a free.
That gives Ferguson the chance to steal a march on the Spanish giants and land a player who will fit into the club’s policy of signing emerging talent.
Meanwhile, Aalesund director, Henrik Hoff, has confirmed that United are interested in Danish goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard.
MEN Sport revealed this week that Fergie had targeted the keeper as a long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar.
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Hes worth more than £12 million put it that way,I'd say Bremen will want closer to £15/16 million,and the player himself will want £70/80 grand a week wages?? This is where united do my head in regarding things like this-they'll end up haggling over say a million pound difference for his fee and then will only want to pay him £45 grand a week or something! Just get the finger out and get him I say!!!
Yes, please bring him in. Until I saw Sneider in the last two rounds, I thought Ozil was the class of the World Cup (well Ozil and Diego Forlan but we cant look back in anger)... I think Sneider is World Class now but it would realistically take 35mn to pry him out of Inter. Lets get Ozil now and watch him blossom.
With the next 5 years of:
Goal?
Backs: Evra, Rafael
Centers: Vidic, Smalling
Midfield: Ozil, Cleversley
WIngs: Obertan, Chicharito
Striker: Rooney and Macheda
I would say I will be very happy, Of course Chicharito is a striker but you get what I am saying
So hopefully Insider was right! However he said United, Werder & Ozil's agent were in talks & a deal could be reached soon - reading above it looks like United only showed interest in the boy...
What is this story based on? I haven't read it in any of the papers today. I would LOVE for this to be true. He's an awesome talent and exactly what United are missing. Get him signed!
unbelievable......... a major signing & a keeper story ALL in one......... It's all getting a tad tedious from the MCEN. Please just report on real events James Robson ! It's just more fodder for your bertie mates.
& Tell us more, where actually did or is this chase that SaF is winning ? Is it at the European athletics meeting in barcelona ?? After all the main events do the managers all have a race? ...or is it a mad dash down Las Ramblas, first one to Bremen wins ?
I don't want this to be another Ronaldinho 03/04 scenario. Where we have the oppertunity, but spend to much time haggaling, and then someone else swoops in. Just Launch a £15 million bid, and that should be enough. I honestly think that we could get away with just signing one centre midfielder, but i would feel we have an almost complete squad if we purchased a ball winning (clockwork) midfielder like Annan or Defour.
Exciting times, Hernandez has saved most peoples summer!
yes as a football loving fan of man utd i believed sir Alex is on the right track he must speed enough to secure the two important players to help regain their premier league tittle race am wishing the coach and the team best of luck Andrew From Sierra Leone
Yes, please bring him in. Until I saw Sneider in the last two rounds, I thought Ozil was the class of the World Cup (well Ozil and Diego Forlan but we cant look back in anger)... I think Sneider is World Class now but it would realistically take 35mn to pry him out of Inter. Lets get Ozil now and watch him blossom.
With the next 5 years of:
Goal?
Backs: Evra, Rafael
Centers: Vidic, Smalling
Midfield: Ozil, Cleversley
WIngs: Obertan, Chicharito
Striker: Rooney and Macheda
I would say I will be very happy, Of course Chicharito is a striker but you get what I am saying
STOP PLAYING AROUND AND SIGN HIM. 20 MILLION IF NEED BE. HE WOULD FIT IN GREAT WITH US . COME ON UNITED. L.U.H.C........
Lots of rumours (even from reliable sources) to support this article, but no firm quotes or sources. Don't get your hopes up just yet guys!
The Insider...any update?
Bremen want £25m - United have offered £10m. Negotiations ongoing but far from done deal. Wages and signing on fee an issue also
No quotes then?
It will great if we get him. Because in our current team I think we miss a playmaker who can keep the ball, who can accelerate the game. Scholes is too old for all the season, Cleverley is too young and is lack of experience, Carrick is too lazy to rely on him, Fletcher has not this talent.
I also think, it ll be good to try to get Anthony Annan for me it's the new Essien. For big games we need strengh and contacts in the midfield and this guy is great to give us that.
not getting him, we cant afford him.
When the world cup started there were a few players i was very excited about watching , Hamsik , Gourcuff , Ribery , Silva and Di Maria , but by the end of it the one player i was hoping we would put a bid in for was Ozil . He absolutely oozed class , esp against England and Argentina . I think we may have to be patient if we sign him could poss take him a few games to get used to the speed of the premier league but potentially he could be awesome for us . A midfield three of Fletcher , Ozil and a fully fit Anderson would be fantastic to watch especially with Rooney up front with Hernandez and Nani Supporting him ( Hernandez plays for mexico with Franco up front and Himself and Dos santos either side of Franco )
Insider any info today?
The eyes have it.
And if United did that for every signing, they'd be in the same boat as Portsmouth by now, with a wage bill that is unsustainable and having forked out far too much for transfer fees.
United's methods are fine. Not only does it guarantee that we get players at the right prices, but that we get players who want to play for us rather than mercenaries willing to sell out to anyone for the right price and who feel nothing for the club (Carlos Tevez)
wont that be nice....one signing and it will flush every single one that those down the road have done so far into the loo....somebody please hurry up with this....it will make my summer definately and finally could say im looking forward to the new season...he's simply the missing piece in the jigsaw, an attack line up of Rooney, Hernandez, Oezil, Nani interchanging?....frightening!
also hope the rumours on anthony annan is true, as he could easily be our own Makelele but better as he can pick a pass as well. come on Gill make something happen please!
i think around £18-20 million and £70000 a week is very acceptable.
Would he be the 1st German to play in our 1st team ?
If we actually can get him for the rumoured £12m then he'd be well worth a punt. Put it this way, if England had a 21 yr old midfielder who played as well as Ozil in the world cup what would his transfer fee be???
I love the use of the word 'swoop' in relation to transfers. I think it should be used more in every day life. In fact, I think I will 'swoop' on several pints of Guinness later on.
Here's hoping a deal can be worked out. I do have some reservations about Ozil having seen him play a few times for Bremen last season but at 21, hardly likely to be the finished article is he?
I thought the same when we signed Keane at just 22 and that turned out quite well!
Agree entirely with EricTheGreat, I have been so frustrated with United tactics to sign players over the years. Remember Ronaldinho a few years back, we haggled for so long that Barca came in and nicked him from under our noses. Kenyon got the blame for that but Gill doesnt seem to do much better. This guy is a bargain at £12million and is exactly what we need, a goal scoring attacking midfielder who will link up play between midfield and attack. Also, he is young which is often Uniteds so called reason for not signing the best talent around. Come on Gill/Fergie, sign him up before some one else does!
Eric the Great, fully agree with your comments.... Do you remember the story with Berba. United were waiting to get him in the low 20s, and just towards the end of the transfer period Man City came up with their strong bids for Robinho and for Berba, and only the fact Berba liked more United than ManCity meant he joined us. Though such a strategy was neither good for Utd. nor for the player. United paid much more, while Berba still has this psychological stress of having overly high price paid for him - I for once like him a lot..... Ozil will be great addition, but PLS PLS PLS, go and get him sooner rather than later.......