Mesut Ozil Increasingly Likely to Stay at Arsenal After Agent Reveals 'Positive' Contract Talks

The agent of Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has declared that his client's ongoing contract negotiations with the Gunners remain 'positive', with the club still looking to avoid a situation whereby the World Cup winner can leave as a free agent next summer.

Ozil is on course to be out of contract in June 2018 after months of talks have yielded no breakthrough. But compared to Alexis Sanchez, many now believe the German is much more likely to sign a new deal with Arsenal after relatively little serious interest from elsewhere.

There were rumours that Ozil could look to reunite with former Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho at Manchester United if his contract ran down. Now, however, his agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, seems to be suggesting that a departure from the Emirates is increasingly off the table.

At the very least, it would seem that the 28-year-old is keen to stay in England.

"Ozil wants to play another two to three years in the Premier League. Our contact [talks] with Arsenal continue and are going in a positive way," Sogut is quoted as saying by the Independent.

Julian Finney/GettyImages

Injury has seen Ozil sidelined in recent weeks. He hasn't started a Premier League game since the beginning of September and has only played seven minutes over the course of the last month. That has also seen him absent for both of Arsenal's Europa League games so far.

Having earlier sat out the Community Shield through injury, Ozil did play 90 minutes in each of Arsenal's first four league games of the new season but failed to register a single goal or assist.