Werder Bremen still hoping to keep Mesut OzilWerder Bremen insist that the battle to keep Mesut Ozil has not already been lost and that they will "keep on trying" to tie the Germany international to a new contract.
Ozil is out of contract at the end of the season and following his superb World Cup campaign, which saw him nominated for the Golden Ball award, he has attracted the interest of a number of top clubs.
Though Bremen know that financially they would benefit from selling Ozil now for a fee in the region of ?20 million, rather than letting him discuss and arrange a free transfer in January, general manager Klaus Allofs still retains a glimmer of hope that the club may be able to keep the 21-year-old.
"We were trying to find a solution on a new contract with Mesut Ozil up until the start of the World Cup, but we couldn't," Allofs told Kreiszeitung.
"In the meantime we made good progress and were confident that we could fill in the final blanks with the right figures. We had our ideas but we have not been able to bring this to an end. We are not angry, no way. We intend to keep on trying."
It has been reported that Ozil has met with Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho but Allofs remains insistent that as things stand, there have been no offers received for the playmaker.
"I have been told by the newspapers about these reports," he added. "But I insist that we have received no enquiries or offers for the player. We remain in regular contact with Mesut and his agent."
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