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Arsenal are to reopen talks with Mesut Ozil ahead of the January transfer window over ending his £350 000-per-week contract early.
The Gunners, it is understood, approached Ozil about reaching a settlement agreement for the final nine months of his contract over the past fortnight but the attempts proved unsuccessful.
Ozil is said to want virtually all the remaining £13 million on his deal.
It is now hugely unlikely that Ozil will agree to an early exit from Arsenal before the transfer window reopens in January.
Being without a club during the current period poses obvious problems for players with regards to training.
But the Gunners are ready to make another offer to the World Cup winner with a view to removing him from their wage bill in January.
The prospect of Ozil playing much first-team football before then look remote.
Uefa have already confirmed the German’s omission from Arsenal’s Europa League squad, while Ozil is expected to be left out of the club’s 25-man Premier League party.
It comes just days after Ozil offered to dip into his own pocket to keep the man inside their Gunnersaurus mascot costume in a job while he remains at the club.
Jerry Quy, who has filled the role for 27 years alongside a series of other jobs around the club, lost his job as part of Arsenal’s recent Covid-19-related cost-cutting drive.
His position, which he has carried out since Gunnersaurus was introduced in 1993, was deemed no longer essential with games currently being played behind closed doors.
But Ozil vowed to cover his wages, tweeting: “I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous and loyal mascot and integral part of our club was made redundant after 27 years.
“As such, I’m offering to reimburse Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player so Jerry can continue his job that he loves so much.” – The Sun
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