Arsenal News: Mesut Ozil In Turkey, Not Part Of FA Cup Final

Mesut Ozil will not be part of the Arsenal F.C. squad set to face Chelsea in the FA Cup Final this weekend. The German player was allowed by the Gunners to travel to Turkey for an unspecified reason, reports say.

Sports journalist and D2S media director Chris Wheatley, a former Eurosport and Goal.com correspondent, said via Twitter on Friday that Ozil has been in Turkey for the past several days and would not be making an appearance at Wembley on Saturday.

Arsenal gave Ozil permission to travel to Turkey after the 31-year-old player was told he would not be part of the FA Cup Final, Goal.com's Charles Watts reported. Only 10 non-playing players will be allowed at the final as well as the matchday squad.

Ozil has yet to play a single minute since the football restart. Though he is being kept out due to tactical reasons, there is a growing belief that his time at Emirates Stadium is counting down.

The German has been linked to a possible move to Fenerbahce. But as mentioned in a previous report, Ozil rejected the offer to play for the Turkish Super Lig team.

Despite the speculations, Mikel Arteta continues to downplay the future of the German midfielder. He stressed in a press conference (via Goal) that he will turn to players who are fit and available at the right moments so that they can perform comfortably on the pitch. The same case holds true for Ozil.

"Sometimes we have to try to fit the players we have available in the right moments in the right positions to perform and be comfortable on the pitch to do what we require them to do," Arteta said.

Ozil previously posted on social media that he was healthy and ready to play, spurring rumors of a rift developing from within. The German is said to be out due to a "mysterious" back problem.

In the eyes of pundits, the fact that the Gunners are not using Ozil and making the most out of his $444,000-per-week wage is a bit odd. Both he and Matteo Guendouzi are not seeing eye-to-eye with the club, reports said, a reason why the two could be moving to new clubs this summer.

Aware that he is still getting paid despite not being used, Ozil plans to play out the remainder of his contract. The German has less than 12 months left in his current deal.