Arsenal are reportedly willing to double Mesut Ozil's current wages in a bid to get him to commit his future to the club. The German is out of contract in 2018 and it looks increasingly likely that both he and Alexis Sanchez could try to quit the club at the end of this season.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Gunners have offered Ozil £280,000-a-week to stay beyond the end of next season - that is a huge increase on his existing £140,000 basic weekly wage,which rises close to £200,000-a-week with bonuses
It comes as a report from the Daily Telegraph claims that Arsenal have yet to receive a response from Ozil's camp with regard to their last offer of £200,000-per-week. It is suggested that his friends in Germany believe he wants to leave.
It has long been rumoured that financial remuneration was the driving factor behind both Ozil and Sanchez stalling on new deals as both players are currently earning relatively little compared to top names at other comparably wealthy clubs.
However, the Mirror's report claims that even with a £280,000-per-week deal on the table, Ozil is still holding out for more that he could get elsewhere. The offer exceeds the £250,000 figure he is previously thought to have wanted, suggesting there are now other factors involved.
If that is the case and extreme financial incentive, unprecedented for Arsenal, is the only way to get him to sign a new deal, it points to his head already being elsewhere and suggests he would solely be staying for the money rather than a desire to play for the club.
The Mirror and Telegraph reports also independently state that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may not be an Arsenal player for much longer either. Both suggest the England midfielder is looking to reignite his once sparkling career with a fresh start, with the Mirror naming Manchester United and Manchester City as 'watching developments closely'.
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