German Midfielder to Follow Ozil to Arsenal – Report

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira is willing to follow his compatriot Mesut Ozil to the Emirates in January, according to the Daily Mirror. Arsenal's acquisition of the £42.5m man has transformed their status in the transfer market and are now attracting world-class players who are looking to move abroad.

Khedira, who plays a holding role in Madrid, has revealed that he had a bid worth £34m rejected by the Spanish club from Manchester United but his future in Spain is still uncertain, with his current contract expiring in 2015.

"The club turned down the offer and that was it. We didn't really have the chance to discuss it. I had a longer chat with Carlo Ancelotti a few weeks ago and it was relatively clear to me that I'd stay at Real. We (players) don't have any influence in the high transfer fees. Real refused the offer of Manchester United and I'm happy with that," Khedira said.

The Gunners are well staffed in that position, with Mikel Arteta expected to resume training next week and Mathieu Flamini holding his own after returning to Arsenal on a free this summer. Khedira started 19 games for Madrid last season in the league, scoring three goals and assisting with two.

The north London club were in the market for a holding player, having had a bid rejected for Lars Bender and failing to land Luiz Gustavo from Bayern Munich, who transferred to Wolfsburg. However, the Gunners have brought in Flamini on a three-year deal and are unlikely to splash the cash on another midfielder, with a bid for a striker a priority in January. Wenger is also keeping a keen eye on Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez and is looking to launch a bid in order to spruce up an ailing attack.

Meanwhile, Wenger was all praise for their performance against Sunderland in a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light which also saw the much anticipated debut of Ozil for Arsenal. The midfielder made his intentions known as early as the 10<sup>th minute, where he slid in a ball for Olivier Giroud to finish with aplomb.