Mesut Ozil will soon see his contract with Arsenal expire in 2021, but the prospect of remaining at the Emirates seemed gloom for the German playmaker. With only more than a year, the Gunners have to yet make an extension offer to Ozil, likely indicating that he could be on the way out soon.
The scenario that could play out for the former Real Madrid midfielder is Arsenal will put him on the market in hopes of selling to interested clubs. However, Ozil's £350,000 per week salary has been a turn off for would-be buyers so the North London club could go for the second option.
That would be allowing the player's deal to expire next summer, in which case Ozil can join up with the club of his choice free of the transfer fee. At the moment, there is no clear destination for Ozil, but he could reportedly head next to Turkey or play for a Chinese football club.
According to Metro, the Arsenal hierarchy appeared unsure if the German, who is one of the club's longest-serving players and the highest paid at the same time, will be given extended stay at the Emirates.
Prior to the sacking of Unai Emery as Arsenal head coach, Ozil appeared to be on the way out as the Spaniard rarely deployed him on the pitch. But the entry of Mikel Arteta as the new manager in December provided hope that the midfielder could stay.
In fixtures where Arteta called the shots, Ozil proved that he remains the creative and technical player that Arsenal had brought in from Spain. And Arteta had made indications that the 31-year-old has a future with him coaching the Gunners.
Controversy, however, continues to follow the German star. His spat with Emery sidelined his Arsenal career for a time, and the ongoing coronavirus lockdown saw him taking an unpopular stance - saying no to the pay cut requested by Arsenal board.
Per the same report, Ozil was among the three players that rejected the salary reduction deal, which would have decreased his take-home pay by 12.5 percent in the next 12 months. The German said he understood that Arsenal would need to save money amid the global health crisis, but he wanted to know how and where exactly the savings will be used before getting on the deal.
While Ozil drew criticisms on his decision, the Daily Star said he found an ally on former footballer Stan Collymore. The latter said in a recent op-ed: "Ozil is under no contractual obligation whatsoever to give Arsenal one brass farthing of his salary back and I make him well within his rights to take the stand he has taken."
The pundit pointed out that the Gunners do not exactly lack in cash flow, stressing that Arsenal as a club operates "at the top end of the Premier League, the world's richest football league, for the past 28 years, and raking in top-division money for all but about five years of their existence."
