Arsenal transfer news: Barcelona still undecided over Mesut Ozil move with final go-ahead pending

Barcelona are divided over whether to complete a deal for Mesut Ozil in January, with the player available for a free next summer. A fee in the range of €20m (£18m, $24m) would close the deal for the Arsenal midfielder with the Catalans looking to strengthen in January to bolster their squad for their European campaign, having already taken a heavy lead in La Liga.

Sport reports that there are still serious doubts about how he would adapt to the dressing room given his previous stint with Real Madrid where there were reservations over his social life, which saw him leave Spain in 2013.

The move to sign Ozil is being handled by Raul Sanllehi, who has a good relationship with Arsenal.

Sanllehi has already met with the player's agent, Erkut Sogut, and his brother in London to negotiate a deal where everything was practically closed. Now the final go-ahead depends on Barcelona general manager Pep Segura who has to collaborate with sporting director Robert Fernandez and coach Ernesto Valverde.

According to reports, the main issue with the transfer is whether the deal will create an altercation within the Barcelona dressing room, which is currently a happy unit under Valverde.

There is a lot of opposition behind the scenes regarding the transfer and it remains to be seen if a decision can be reached when the transfer window opens next month. The 29-year-old does not have age on his side, while overtures are also being made for Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, 25, who failed to complete a deal in the summer.

Ozil is a much-maligned figure at Arsenal and has made 10 appearances in an injury-disrupted 2017-18 season so far. Arsene Wenger revealed earlier in the month that the club had yet to decide if they plan to offload the World Cup winner and fellow contract rebel Alexis Sanchez in January or risk losing them for nothing at the end of the season.

However, his performance in Arsenal's win against Tottenham last weekend earned a lot of plaudits, with Nacho Monreal stating that he expects the German to stay beyond the season.