Clues show Mesut Ozil to Man Utd is on... and Jose Mourinho has played saga to perfection

Mourinho’s Manchester United secured a thrilling victory over Wenger’s Arsenal at the weekend.

Thanks to Jesse Lingard’s double and David De Gea’s brilliance, United took down their fierce rivals 3-1 at the Emirates.

Mourinho would have loved that three points more than most and he’s closing in on dealing another blow to his old adversary Wenger.

And that’s the ongoing story that is Mesut Ozil.

As we all know, the German’s Gunners contract is almost up and his future looks destined to be away from north London.

Manchester United want him, he loves Mourinho and a deal is looking nailed on.

United are playing the transfer saga to perfection and it’s classic Mourinho.

Clues are being dropped little and often as the Red Devils look to woo Ozil and get him to Old Trafford either in January or next summer.

Prior to Saturday’s blockbuster clash, United’s match preview launched a public charm offensive to land the 29-year-old.

They talked up his ‘world-class ability’ and his ‘major influence, capable of unlocking any defence’.

In times when everything written or said are meticulously analysed, you can bet these comments were as intentional as they were complimentary.

Then there was Mourinho’s actions. When asked on Friday if he was looking to land Ozil on a free next summer, the Special One let out a telling smirk before replying: “No comment.”

And after Saturday’s win, another clue. Despite the disappointment of everyone at Arsenal, Ozil did not simply head down the tunnel at the final whistle like he has in several other games this season.

Instead, he hung around and greeted Mourinho’s backroom staff, whom he worked with at Real Madrid, one by one in full view of the exiting Emirates crowd.

Mourinho and Ozil did not always enjoy their time together at Real but the pair remain great friends - the United chief writing the foreword to the midfielder’s recently published autobiography.

These smalls things add up and you can bet they are not coincidences.

It remains to be seen if United will shell out the £30m needed to land Ozil in January or if they’ll look to secure a gentleman’s agreement in the New Year ahead of landing him for free next summer.

Either way, the stunning switch is looking increasingly likely and once Mourinho sets his mind on something, more often than not, it comes to pass.

Ozil, while much-maligned at times, remains one of the Premier League’s best and has shown his top form in recent weeks.

He’d add a needed guile and finesse to United’s attack and Mourinho’s eagerness to land him makes sense.

And it seems the Red Devils boss is destined to claim another victory over Wenger and snap up one of his most prized assets.