Reports | Arsenal and Mesut Ozil haven’t opened talks over contract termination

Despite being linked with a move to Istanbul Basaksehir and Fenerbahce this summer, no move ever materialized for Mesut Ozil. The German has struggled to get into the Arsenal team since Mikel Arteta took over and report had indicated that the club were looking to get Ozil’s £350,000-a-week contract off their books. However, the midfielder has asserted in the past that he wasn’t looking to leave and his unwillingness played a part this summer.

However, reports indicated that the club had opened talks to buy the German’s contract out in order to let him leave after Arteta left him out of his 25-man Europa League squad. But ESPN has reported that Arsenal haven’t opened discussions over the same and that Ozil will not consider prematurely ending his contract in North London. Instead, ESPN has revealed that the former Real Madrid is focused on finding his way back into the team.

But that may be harder than the midfielder imagines, especially since he hasn’t played a single minute of football for the club since Project Restart. Ozil started all ten of Arteta’s first games for the club before lockdown was implemented but has struggled to get back into the team since it was revealed that he was one of three members of the squad that refused a pay cut.