Key Hull City figure speaks out on Mesut Ozil transfer speculation

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has ruled out making a move for international superstar Mesut Ozil this summer.

The Tigers were linked with a sensational swoop late last month for the former Germany international midfielder by TEAMtalk after he had a fall-out with Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal.

Ozil has been excluded from first-team activities since his half-time withdrawal a few weeks ago against Konyaspor, and it didn’t take long for the rumour mill to go into overdrive thanks to Ilicali’s close relationship with the player.

Ilicali, a major name in his home country as a businessman and a television personality, claimed to help broker Ozil’s move to Fenerbahce and he’s described the 33-year-old as a friend in multiple interviews.

Despite that friendship though and his issues with the management team at his current club, Ozil is not expected to arrive at the MKM Stadium, with Ilicali pouring cold water on a potential deal for next season.

“No, they are not coming,” Ilicali said, per HullLive.

“Mesut is happy in Turkey.

“He’s a very good friend of mine and if he’s happy in Turkey, why should I ask him to come to England again?

“He’s just gone from England to Turkey and is having a good life there with his family.

“I’m sure that he will recover his problems with the team.”

The Verdict

Even though Ozil and Ilicali’s friendship is close, it was always going to be a long shot for the attacking midfielder to end up in East Riding of Yorkshire next season.

There would have to be some serious circumnavigation of Financial Fair Play to afford to pay Ozil, and he can still play in a top league as evidenced with his eight goals in 22 outings for Fenerbahce this season.

Even though he’s currently not being selected there, you’d