Arsenal are set to secure to long-term future of star man Mesut Ozil and will make him the highest paid player in North London, The Daily Mirror reports.
What’s the word?
After months of negotiations, Mesut Ozil is finally set to secure his future with Arsenal and will put pen-to-paper on a lucrative £200k-a-week deal, which will make the World Cup winner the highest-paid player ever to represent the Gunners.
In the form of his life, the 28-year-old has been negotiating with Arsenal for months as he enters the final 18 months of his contract with the Gunners. As the club’s most expensive signing, Ozil is set to break another financial record.
Arsenal have always been confident that the 28-year-old will extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium and it caps off a big week for the Gunners, who secured the long-term service of Hector Bellerin with a new deal last week. Next in-line, Alexis Sanchez.
Will Sanchez follow suit?
The big question for Arsenal now is whether they can secure the hat-trick and get Alexis Sanchez to also extend his stay with the Gunners- but there is less certainty that the Chilean will extend his stay, report The Mirror.
With Manchester City and Juventus monitoring the situation, Alexis enters the final year of his deal next summer and, if that happens, then Arsenal will be open to a sale to ensure they don’t lose the former Barcelona man on a free transfer in 2018.
Arsenal fans can take comfort though with the fact that Arsene Wenger seems to have a plan, having sorted the future of Bellerin and Ozil, and after handing Ozil £200k-a-week, the Gunners have shuffled their pay structure and can offer Alexis a similarly high pay.
What does this mean for Arsenal?
For Arsenal, it shows that Arsene Wenger’s long-term project post Highbury is finally reaping the rewards. The Gunners struggled to keep hold of their star players five-or-so years ago, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas moving on.
It wasn’t just that though, as players who had ok performances with Arsenal were also sold- Emmanuel Adebayor and Samir Nasri being prime examples of that. Fast forward to now and Arsenal can compete financially and on the field.
By securing their biggest star and their most valuable young prospect to new deals, Arsenal have made a statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League, and indeed Europe, that the Gunners are back in business.
Now, they just need to match that on the field.
