Report: Mourinho 'highly confident' of persuading Ozil to join United

Jose Mourinho believes he can lure former pupil Mesut Ozil to Manchester United at the end of the season, according to The Independent's Miguel Delaney.

With Ozil in the final year of his Arsenal contract, clubs interested in signing the German on a free transfer can negotiate with his representatives as early as January.

Mourinho is "highly confident" of persuading Ozil to join United, Delaney reports, considering their fruitful relationship during three years together at Real Madrid.

They both arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2010 and went on to win the La Liga title two years later. Ozil was a regular starter under Mourinho, and it was the Portuguese who challenged the 28-year-old to become a top player.

In his autobiography, Ozil recounted the time Mourinho called him a "coward." Although he said he hated the manager in that moment, Ozil emphasised that "I love Mourinho actually."

The two split in 2013 when Mourinho returned to Chelsea and Ozil completed a £42-million move to the Gunners. He's divided opinion at the Emirates, displaying breathtaking playmaking ability while drawing criticism for an apparent lack of effort.

Losing two of its best players to Manchester clubs is a real possibility for Arsenal. City also tried to coax the north London side into a deadline-day deal for Alexis Sanchez, but negotiations fell apart. Pep Guardiola's side is expected to return with another offer in the winter transfer window.