Arsenal’s attempts to keep Mesut Ozil at the club have seen the Gunners offer to double their playmaker’s money.
Ozil currently earns £140,000 per week, according to The Mirror, with bonuses taking that figure closer to £200,000.
With Ozil’s existing contract set to expire in June of next year, talks over a new deal are well underway and The Mirror last night reported that Arsenal have now offered to up the 28-year-old’s basic wage to £280,000 – a rise of 100%.
However, the German international knows it is possible to earn even more elsewhere and is therefore holding out for a better offer, per The Mirror.
Based on his form this season, it is difficult to justify Ozil’s current pay packet, let alone doubling it.
His current wages cost Arsenal £7.28m per year – £10.4m including bonuses.
Ozil has scored five Premier League goals and provided just four assists in 22 games this term. Those figures are drastically down on the 2015-16 campaign, which saw the former Real Madrid star produce 19 Prem assists, plus six goals.
But, of course, giving Ozil a new contract is not all about rewarding his performances. It is equally, if not more so, about Arsenal trying to protect one of their most valuable assets.
Ozil is still Arsenal’s all-time record signing, so losing him on a free transfer in 15 months would be awful for business.
SEE ALSO: Mesut Ozil only 10th on list of players Arsenal fans want to keep, Alexis Sanchez fifth