Arsenal have made contact with Galatasaray over the possible transfer of Mesut Ozil, despite the midfielder’s recent comments reiterating that he will not be leaving this summer.
The former German international has fallen out of favour since the Coronavirus pandemic, seemingly because he refused to accept a wage reduction, and Arsenal now appear keen to remove his monster wage from their bill.
Our club is claimed to have made contact with Galatasaray in hope of doing just that, but their response remains unknown.
Turkish news source Aksam Spor hints that the so-called Conqueror of Europe may be put off by Ozil’s wage demands, with the midfielder currently believed to be pocketing a huge £350,000 per week wage according to the DailyMail amongst other sources.
The latest reports come just a week after the player himself spoke out against his doubters while talking to The Athletic, claiming that he would not be leaving the club against his wishes, and that he has every intention to see out the remainder of his playing contract.
“I’ll decide when I go, not other people. I didn’t sign for two or three years, I signed for four and that should be respected by everyone,” Ozil said.
“Things have obviously been difficult but I love Arsenal, I love to work there, I love the people in the club — the real people, those I’ve been with for a long time — and I love London, it’s my home.
“I fully respect the coach’s decision but I believe these things should mainly be decided on the pitch. After the restart, I wasn’t given a chance to show what I can do. You don’t play 10 games in a row if you’re unfit, not good enough or don’t behave well.
“If I played these games badly and was then left out completely for that reason then I might understand, but this was not the case.”
Could Arsenal’s attempt to offload Ozil have been a reaction to his comments?
Patrick