Mesut Ozil's Arsenal career is officially over. 

The Athletic's David Ornstein reports that the club have agreed to terminate the 32-year-old's contract six months early. 

Ozil is now expected to join Turkish side Fenerbahce, a deal which has been gathering momentum since the start of January. 

Of course, the playmaker's career in north London has really been over for a long time - he hasn't made a first team appearance since last March. 

Even when Mikel Arteta was badly lacking creativity, he resisted calls to bring the World Cup winner into the fold and he was left out of the Premier League and Europa League squads. 

Axing him now is in the interests of all parties, with Arsenal spared £7 million worth of wages he was due to pick up between now and the end of the season. 

His contract of £350,000 a week, which he signed in 2018 - making him the highest-paid player at the Emirates - is now on the scrapheap, and that's made it far easier for him to move to Fenerbahce. 

It marks the end of a strange saga, but when the dust settles Ozil should be remembered for all that he offered Arsenal and a tally of 54 assists and 33 goals in his 184 Premier League appearances. 

Under Arsene Wenger, he possessed vision like few other midfielders in the world and alongside Alexis Sanchez, he was part of a formidable duo. 

Ozil also won three FA Cups and a Community Shield during his stint. 

All that seems a lifetime ago and it's hoped he'll be able to revive his career back in Istanbul. 

The appeal of moving to Turkey is obvious given his family heritage and it also represents an opportunity for him to put his strained relationship with Arteta behind him. 

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace in their last outing and the link-up between the midfield and the front three is still a conundrum that needs solving. 

There will no longer be the shadow of Ozil looming large, at least.