GUNNERS AGREE OZIL'S DEAL

Arsenal have agreed a deal with Real Madrid
to sign Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil, Press
Association Sport understands.
The 24-year-old is now set to discuss
personal terms over the proposed transfer,
believed to be a club-record bid of 50million
euros (£42.2m), and then look to complete a
medical ahead of the 11pm transfer deadline.
Before Sunday's 1-0 win over big-spending
Tottenham, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had
seen moves for Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez
and Yohan Cabaye all fail to come off, but it
would now appear the Emirates Stadium club
are close to finally landing a big-name
signing.
Wenger's only summer purchases so far had
been the free transfers of Yaya Sanogo and
Mathieu Flamini.
However, the Arsenal manager was confident
the 100million euro (£85.3m) switch of
Gareth Bale to Real Madrid would set in
place a "domino" effect, and thus allow the
likes of 24-year-old Germany international
Ozil to come onto the market at the 11th
hour.
Arsenal - who have been linked with Ozil's
Real Madrid team-mates Karim Benzema and
Angel di Maria and a loan move for Chelsea
striker Demba Ba - are also expected to
bring in some goalkeeping cover, with a loan
deal for Palermo stopper Emiliano Viviano.
Although Wenger may be sitting on a £70m
warchest, he insists the club will not be held
to ransom as the last-gasp shopping dash
begins.
''I am not against spending. I am ready to
pay what we can afford, even if it is a bit
over the market (value) and as long as it is
not crazy,'' he said.
Arsenal have responded well since they lost
the opening Premier League game at home to
Aston Villa, winning at Fulham and also
securing a place in the group stages of the
Champions League by beating Fenerbahce
both at home and away.
However, the need for getting in extra bodies
was highlighted by the inclusion of
youngsters Serge Gnabry and Gedion
Zelalem, only 16, on the bench after
Arsenal's first-team squad had been
decimated by injuries to key men like Lukas
Podolski, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain.