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Arsenal confident of signing Ozil

Arsenal are confident of signing Mesut Ozil to finally end their summer of difficulty in the transfer market, and have offered Real Madrid what would be a club record bid of £42.5 million for the playmaker.

The pursuit of Gareth Bale has dramatically changed the dynamics at the Bernabeu, and has left Ozil concerned about his status in the team.

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Despite a previous position as one of president Florentino Perez's most admired players - as well as a crowd favourite - he was left on the bench as an unused substitute in Real's 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Sources have also said manager Carlo Ancelotti sees Ozil as dispensable with the introduction of Bale, and preferred to keep Angel Di Maria - who had been expected to leave.

Ozil has himself been angling for a move for the last month, with his camp even making contact with Manchester United. Although the English champions turned down the chance to buy Ozil, sources have said they have retained some interest but are unlikely to act on it.

Arsenal's only serious competition instead comes from Paris Saint-Germain, who have been pushing hard for the purchase, but it is understood Ozil himself would prefer the move to the Emirates Stadium.

As well as breaking the club's transfer record, the prospective signing would represent the high-profile move that many at Arsenal have felt they needed, after failures in the pursuits of Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain.

It is also known that Wenger wants to bring in a centre-forward and goalkeeper, with Arsenal close to a loan deal for Palermo's Emiliano Viviano.

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