Despite finding himself in the wilderness in north London after being excluded from Mikel Arteta’s squads for both the Premier League and Europa League, German midfielder Mesut Ozil still wants to remain at Arsenal and see out the rest of his contract despite being cast aside by the coach, insists his agent, Erkut Sogut, has insisted Ozil has no intention of leaving the club before his contract expires next summer.
When asked on Tuttomercatoweb about whether Ozil will leave in January, Sogut said:
‘Even one day is a long time in football, you never know.
‘Of course, there are many clubs interested in him.
‘This has never changed but his willingness to honour his contract and play hasn’t changed either.
‘He’s a man of his word, loyal, and loyalty is hard to find in these times.’
The 32-year-old is currently on a £350,000-a-week contract in north London which ends at the end of this season, with Ozil set to leave the Gunners on a free transfer.
Turkish side Fenerbahce has shown deep interest in Ozil with Inter Miami and LA Galaxy all also reportedly closely monitoring the German’s situation.
Gunners’ boss Arteta appeared to open the door last week for prodigal son Ozil to return to the fold next month but claimed a decision has still not been made on the German’s future.
The Spaniard could take the initiative to re-register the 32-year-old in the January transfer window but this would mean having to reshuffle his squad as they currently lie a precarious 15th in the top-flight table.
Arteta said:
‘He’s not in the squad right now. I’m focusing just on the players we have here.
‘But, whatever happens in January, we have some time to decide.’
Ozil has not played for Arsenal since the coronavirus pandemic stopped the Premier League season in March.