Real Madrid Transfer News: Mesut Ozil Revelation, Latest Mariano Diaz Rumours

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has refused to rule out a transfer back to Real Madrid, while Copa del Rey hero Mariano Diaz is said to be wanted by no less than six La Liga clubs.

As reported by Sport Witness, Spanish daily Marca recently published an article claiming Ozil wants to return to former club Real, and when the Germany international sat down for an interview with the newspaper on Thursday, they inevitably asked the question.

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Ozil spoke glowingly about his time in the Spanish capital and his friendship with club icon Sergio Ramos, before hinting at a possible return:

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Of course yes. As you know, Madrid is a great club, I played with some great players, I have friends there still… And the Real Madrid fans are very loyal and affectionate with me, still they encourage me. Many send me messages and ask me to come back, so I have only good memories from there.

[…]

I am very happy playing in such a big club like Arsenal, which has amazing fans and they also encourage me a lot. I am playing very well in London, but in football you never know… We’ll see what happens in the future.

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He also stated he missed the club and the city before once again highlighting anything can happen in football. Sport Witness doubt whether Ozil simply said what Marca wanted to hear, especially in light of the recent rumours the paper published.

They also thought it's probably the last thing Arsenal needed to hear in the middle of contract talks with Ozil:

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In the midst of renewal talks with Arsenal and with a contract ending in 2018, this interview won’t give Wenger a warm and cuddly feeling. Zidane and Madrid may not be interested in an Ozil return, unless the 28-year-old ran his contract down and left Arsenal for free the summer after next, but the player himself seems keen.

A footballer doesn’t do this interview, with Marca, give the comments Ozil has, unless they’re happy for the Spanish newspaper to turn it into a ‘wink, wink, nudge, nudge, ‘insert player here’ fancies a Real Madrid move’.

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Los Blancos are unable to register any players due to their transfer ban, which is set to start in January, but they'll be allowed to do just about whatever they please in the market by the time Ozil's deal expires.

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The 28-year-old has been negotiating a new contract with the Gunners for months now, and so far, the two sides seem to have gotten nowhere. While most still expect him to eventually put pen to paper, these latest comments are not a good sign.

Ozil has found much individual success since leaving Real for Arsenal in 2013, but he hasn't been able to guide the Gunners to a Premier League title or European glory. The last domestic league title he won was with Real back in 2012.

Pilib de Brun of Beyond The Pitch doubts whether the Gunners have any chance of winning the UEFA Champions League anytime soon—a trophy he could chase with a club like Real:

Whether Real would be interested in a reunion is unclear, but at the very least, the perceived threat from the Spanish giants could aid Ozil in his contract negotiations.

Elsewhere, AS (h/t Calciomercato's Steve Mitchell) reported Malaga, Valencia, Alaves, Deportivo La Coruna, Leganes and Sevilla are all interested in Mariano, who has already been told he can leave the club in January.

The 23-year-old flashed his talent in the Copa del Rey win over Cultural Leonesa, scoring a hat-trick in the 6-1 demolition. Mariano has bags of potential, as you can see in his highlight reel, and it's easy to see why clubs are interested:

The Dominican is a solid prospect, but with Karim Benzema and Alvaro Morata ahead of him in the pecking order, his chances of breaking through at Real are slim at best. A move to a smaller club is probably in his best interests, and don't be shocked if Los Blancos place a buy-back clause in the eventual deal.