Report: Mesut Ozil Will Demand Pay Raise in Light of Star Arsenal Signings
Arsenal's midfield talisman Mesut Ozil will demand a massive pay rise, if he is to stay with the Gunners beyond the end of the current season, according to one report.
The German midfielder's contract expires with Arsenal at the end of the current season and there has been much speculation surrounding his future in recent months.
The 29-year-old World Cup winner is free to negotiate a summer move away from the Emirates this month, while several clubs including Manchester United and Juventus had been linked with a January swoop.
However, one of Ozil's reported suitors in United switched their attention to his Arsenal teammate Alexis Sanchez, who also had only six months remaining on his contract in north London.
After much speculation and negotiation it seems Sanchez will move to United with Red Devils outcast Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving in the opposite direction.
With Sanchez all but gone, Arsenal are desperate to convince Ozil to commit his future to the Gunners. However, the former Real Madrid star will expect to receive a pay rise seeing his wage fall in line with the likes of Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, should the Gunners land the Gabon hitman, as reported by the Daily Star.
Ozil currently earns £140k per week with the Gunners and has already had a request to earn more than double his current wage rebuffed.
Despite all the rumors surrounding the German midfielder, Arsene Wenger remains confident Ozil will remain an Arsenal player until the end of the season, saying: "He [Ozil] will be here until the end of the season, for sure.
"Afterwards, if he will be here longer? I don’t know. It depends if we find an agreement or not."
Arsenal return to action on Wednesday as the face off against reigning Premier League champions Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, with the aggregate score remaining 0-0 following the first leg at Stamford Bridge.
