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Mesut Ozil’s agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut, has said there is “no chance” the midfielder will leave Arsenal before his contract expires in 2021.
Sogut told Sam Cunningham at iNews that the 31-year-old is not thinking about his future presently and plans to see out his deal at the Emirates Stadium:
“At the moment, we don’t even talk about it, because he still has one-and-a-half-years left. He still has 15 months to go. Until then, he will stay at Arsenal, for sure. He will stay until the end of his contract. There’s no chance he’ll leave.
“He is going into the end of this contract, he will be 32 years old, he will be a free agent, and it’s not a bad situation. And he will have probably a hundred million followers on the social media side at that time, his marketing will be bigger by that time. And he’s 32 so he can still go and play in top-level football for the next two or three years.”
Ozil is Arsenal’s highest earner on wages of £350,000 per week before tax. The playmaker’s future is often the subject of speculation. He was frozen out by previous manager Unai Emery but has found himself back in the starting XI since former Gunners team-mate Mikel Arteta took over in December.
Former Arsenal team-mate Mohamed Elneny, now at Turkish side Besiktas, has talked up a potential move for Ozil to Turkey, where his parents are from:
Goal @goal
Mesut Ozil could return to Turkey, according to former Arsenal team-mate Mohamed Elneny ??
? “Mesut really loves Fenerbahce. He’s always speaking about the club and the fans.
“I think he could come to Fenerbahce. He’s always trying to annoy me by singing Fenerbahce chants.” https://t.co/pqrS4U1DRI
The Super Lig club were linked with a January loan move for Ozil, and Major League Soccer team D.C. United are also keen on the former Germany international, according to Steven Goff at the Washington Post.
Yet Sogut also refused to rule out the possibility of Ozil extending his stay at the Emirates and signing a new contract, per Cunningham:
“I look at every option, I need to maximise and get the best contract for him. The options are coming in now. Maybe he will stay and have a new contract with Arsenal. Maybe he has a good end to the season and good next season and the club offers him a new contract. It’s down to the club in the end, not to me or Mesut. If the club is not giving him an offer then he can’t stay. If he gets an offer from the club he will consider it.”
Ozil has made 22 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season but has only managed one goal and one assist.
He has drawn praise from Arteta, although the Spaniard has made it clear he needs to work on the defensive side of his game:
LTArsenal™ @ltarsenal
Arteta on Ozil: “I know how good he is, obviously I play with him and I know him. So I try to pinch him as much as possible to do what he needs to do because I know how much he can give on the offensive side.”
The Germany native is often criticised for a perceived lack of effort, but he appears to have Arteta’s trust and has spoken about how the club have improved under the 37-year-old:
Sky Sports Premier League @SkySportsPL
“Tactically we improve a lot”
Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette reflect on Mikel Arteta’s start to life as Gunners boss
More: https://t.co/5RDkdZmjo6 https://t.co/zc1Bj3Idup
Arteta is expected to overhaul his squad in the summer transfer window and will have to make a decision on Ozil. The Gunners may want to free up some space on the wage bill, particularly if they miss out on Champions League football.
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