Mesut Özil's Agent Hints at Arsenal Stay Despite Fenerbahçe Links
By Tom Gott
The agent of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil has hinted that the German will remain at the Emirates Stadium this summer, despite talk of a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahçe.
Özil's future at Arsenal first came under threat during Unai Emery's time in charge, with the Spaniard challenging Özil to do more for the team - a concern often echoed by fans who are frustrated with the fact he earns around £350,000-a-week.
With Arsenal's transfer budget smaller than some of their rivals', the idea of cutting ties with Özil and his bumper salary has often been suggested, but his agent, Dr Erkut Sögüt suggested to beIN Sports (via the Daily Mail) that the plan is to stick around until his contract expires in 2021.
"Mesut has one year on his contract," Sögüt began. "There will be no change in this regard.
So what happens next, time will show. Mesut will be 32 years old and will have a few more years in his career.
"Mesut and his family will make a decision. It will be the best of all."
When the idea of a move to Fenerbahçe was mentioned, the agent refused to deny speculation that preliminary talks had been held.
"I cannot speak about Mesut and Fenerbahçe because I have no right to speak on this matter according to the principle of confidentiality," Sögüt said.
Özil managed just six goals and three assists in 35 appearances for Arsenal last season, and he only offered one goal and three assists before the current campaign was postponed, which is a large part of the reason why many Arsenal fans would be happy to see the back of him.
Having penned a deal to become the club's highest earner towards the end of Arsène Wenger's reign, Özil's contribution and attitude during games is often in the spotlight, but his failure to steer Arsenal out of their recent rut has seen supporters lose faith in the German.
Given his high wages, finding a buyer would not be an easy task - clubs don't want to spend over £300,000-a-week on someone who turns up a few times a year - so a free transfer when his contract expires is seen as the most likely outcome.