Fenerbahce have distanced themselves from reports linking them with Arsenal star Mesut Özil, adamant they cannot afford the playmaker.

Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013, and although he has been a key player for much of that time, he has also polarised opinion among the club's supporters.

After an underwhelming season under Unai Emery last term, media speculation had suggested Arsenal are willing to offload Özil in order to lighten their wage bill, but Fenerbahçe insist rumours of a loan move are wide of the mark.

A Fenerbahçe statement read: "Mesut Özil, with his career and standing, successfully represents our country abroad. He is an important value known with the identity of Fenerbahçe.

Fenerbahçe: "No proposal for Özil"

"However, Fenerbahce does not have a proposal for Mesut Özil. Under the current economic conditions, such a step is not possible for both parties.

"Our president, Ali Koc, made statements on the subject in the WinWin program held on June 20 and emphasised that this could not be realised in the short term."

Özil signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract in February last year, as the Gunners managed to prevent him leaving on a free transfer at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

That was seen as a major coup, particularly given the departure of Alexis Sánchez to Manchester United in January 2018, but Özil's form has not recovered as expected.

Following Emery's arrival, Özil failed to consistently impress and he was left out of the team on numerous occasions, making only 20 Premier League starts in 2018-19.