Inter Milan reject Arsenal’s ambitious Ozil exchange deal

Inter Milan are reported to have rejected Arsenal’s offer to sell them Mesut Ozil in January – with their offer coming at a high price for the Serie A side.

The German falls out of contract at the Emirates Stadium in June and looks increasingly likely to leave the Gunners on a free transfer next summer.

Ozil has been linked with moves to both Manchester United and Barcelona – but Arsene Wenger doesn’t want the player to join either of those clubs – and reports in Italy have suggested the Gunners have other ideas and would prefer to sell him when the transfer window opens again in January.

And Calciomercato reports Arsenal have seen efforts to sell the German playmaker to Inter rejected, after the Gunners proposed that Inter’s Portugal midfielder Joao Mario moved to the Emirates in exchange.

The 24-year-old Mario joined Inter in a €40m switch from Sporting Lisbon last summer and has gone on to become a key figure this season under Luciano Spalletti, creating four goals in six appearances.

Arsenal see him as a natural replacement for Ozil, but it seems Inter do not want to let Mario leave the club and have flat batted Arsenal’s proposal.

Aside from not wanting to lose Mario, another problem for Inter was Ozil’s wages. The player is on a reported €7m a year at Arsenal and it’s unlikely Inter would be able to match his demands.