Fenerbahce president asks fans to subsidise Mesut Ozil's £13m salary

It's been a long time in coming but finally Arsenal have parted ways with Mesut Ozil. At last we can turn over a new leaf and don't have to hear any more about his extortionate wages - or so we thought.

The German international has signed for his boyhood club Fenerbahce, and - regardless of how good a player he is - you'd like to think that having seen the financial strain the Gunners were put under due to Ozil's £18m-a-year wages, the Turkish giants would ensure they could afford the £13m-a-year they were offering him.

Well, apparently not.

It's been just days since his signing for the Super Lig side, and already the club's chairman Ali Koc is asking their fans to subsidise Ozil's wages.

The Turkish giants are - how can we put this - in a spot of financial bother, and currently find themselves in £460m-worth of debt.

Despite their money troubles, the chance to snap up the 32-year-old on a free transfer from Arsenal was clearly too good an opportunity to turn down, and having secured the deal the club have now set up a text system which will see fans donate £2 every time they send a message.

Koc has pleaded with the fans to offer their financial support, and he believes the club could raise as much as £2m with the help of their fanbase.

"We have a request for our fans - please continue to support us, we are also dependent on your financial support," he said as reported by the Daily Mail. "On the day of the signature, I will ask you to break a record. With an SMS campaign.

"Maybe 300,000, 500,000 or maybe even a million text messages come together. This support will do us very good."

Ozil has penned a three-and-a-half year contract in Turkey, a deal which will see him remain at the club until summer 2024.

Best get texting Fenerbahce fans...