Can Arsenal Retain Mesut Ozil After Losing Alexis Sanchez?
Reuters / Dylan Martinez
Arsenal are set to launch a final attempt to retain Mesut Ozil.
The German World Cup winner will run out of his current contract at the Emirates at the end of this season. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is positive that he can keep his star midfielder, as he has offered him a deal worth £275,000-a-week, which would make him the highest earning player in the history of the club.
It is, however, not about the finances that will influence Ozil’s decision, as he has made it clear that it is also about winning trophies.
Ozil has attracted interest from clubs like Barcelona and Man Utd, and can sign a pre-contract with another club come January 1. The playmaker is, however, likely to land a better deal as a free agent.
Meanwhile, it remains almost certain that Alexis Sanchez will leave at the end of the campaign. The Gunners boss cannot afford to lose both his star players, though, given his side is currently pushing for a top four finish in the Premier League.
Alexis’ form has been mercurial this season, and with Chile failing to qualify for the World Cup, he is almost certain to look at joining a club where he can win trophies. He too, has attracted interest from Man City and Paris Saint-Germain.
Jose Mourinho has been a great admirer of Ozil since his days at Real Madrid, where the duo worked together for three years. Furthermore, Mirror Sport revealed Barcelona’s interest in signing Ozil last month itself.
With City confident of landing Sanchez for free, the Gunners cannot afford to let both their stars leave without cashing in, if they are compelled to sell them.
Pep Guardiola launched a £60 million bid for Sanchez on deadline day, but Arsenal refused it since they could not bring in their number 1 target, Monaco’s Thomas Lemar.
Arsenal, however, needs to prevent Ozil’s move for the better interests of the club. The London giants can only hope for a breakthrough when the negotiations with the 29-year old midfielder begin later this month.
Written by Sourish Saha 
Law graduate by degree, pursued football business masters from Brussels, Belgium. Sports enthusiast. Love reading articles to do with politics and sports. In my free time, I like to cook some times, or watch travel shows on television. Opinionated about football but flexible and open to constructive criticism.