Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Isco and Mesut Ozil

Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Isco or Mesut Ozil if they fail to agree to new deals with Real Madrid and Arsenal.According to Moises Llorens of AS (h/t the Sun's Richard Forrester), the former has rejected an offer of a contract extension from Los Blancos, and Barca are keeping a keen eye his situation at the Santiago Bernabeu.Yahoo Sports' Andrew Gaffney offered a different report but noted the midfielder still has relatively little time remaining on his deal:Meanwhile, according to Sport, unnamed sources reported "executives from Barcelona have made contact with Ozils agents to tell them that they would like to sign him if he cannot agree to a deal with Arsenal."He too has less than 18 months on his contract.Barcelona aren't lacking for creativity, but Andres Iniesta will be 33 in May and it will soon be time to line up a long-term replacement.Iniesta is one of the best midfielders of his generation and can perhaps never be truly replaced, but both players are outstanding playmakers and could make for strong options for the Blaugrana.Ozil is a key player for the Gunners and has racked up 29 goals and 51 assists in 143 games since joining from Real Madrid, while Isco has accrued 26 and 39 respectively for Los Blancos.Here's how he's stacked up against Ozil in their respective leagues this year, per Squawka:Because of the wealth of talent available to Real boss Zinedine Zidane, Isco does not enjoy the same status at the Bernabeu as Ozil does at the Emirates Stadiumhe's only started 14 of his 22 appearances this season and completed 90 minutes just twice.That could make him more attainable, but Real will be loath to see him go to their biggest rivals.According to Sport, Barca could have to pay approximately 40 million to activate Isco's release clause, which is more than they're willing to spend. They're more likely to land him at the end of next season if his contract runs down.As for Ozil, Arsenal will be determined to secure him on a long-term new dealif they're unable to, Barca will likely face plenty of competition for his signature.
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