Mesut Ozil is prepared to leave Arsenal on a free next summer after no negotiations have taken place to renew his contract since February.
According to German new outlet Sports Bild, the 28-year-old was offered a £8.1m-a-year contract to stay at the Gunners but no further discussion took place amid speculation around manager Arsene Wenger’s links with PSG before signing a fresh two-year deal to stay with the London club.
Ozil is now within the final twelve months of his contract and, since no developments have been made regarding a new deal, the midfielder is set to leave for nothing after the conclusion of the season meaning Arsenal will not recoup any of the £42m they paid Real Madrid for his services, per The Sun.
The World Cup winner has been linked with a move away to many top European clubs, including Borussia Dortmund.
However, the paper say Wenger does not believe his performances will be affected by the situation, stating:
“When you’re a football player you perform until the last day of your contract. Whether you have two or one year left it doesn’t change.”
Ozil has been subject to criticism of late, so it will be interesting to see how well he performs when the Gunners face Cologne in their opening Europa League group stage fixture on tonight.