Arsenal: Mesut Ozil rejects new deal to return to Real Madrid?

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Mesut Ozil is in the process of renegotiating a new contract at Arsenal. However, worrying reports suggest the playmaker has decided to return to Real Madrid instead.

Arsenal are sweating over the future of Mesut Ozil, with the German yet to commit to a new deal at the Emirates Stadium. Ozil had been in talks over a new contract but has now decided to return to Real Madrid, reports German newspaper Bild, via The Sun.

Ozil’s contract expires in the summer of 2018 and allowing his deal to run into it’s final year is unthinkable. Although, allowing Ozil to leave the club is also just as inconceivable. The playmaker is one of the club’s best players and any exit could also impact on the future of fellow Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

Sanchez, too, is in talks about a new deal and may be swayed to follow suit were Ozil to head for the exit door. The good news about this report, though, is that the same newspaper reported on Wednesday that Ozil had agreed a new deal with the Gunners.

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So the two reports are conflicting and have been released back-to-back. You can’t fully believe the reports because either Ozil has performed an astonishing turnaround within 24 hours or one of the reports in inaccurate. Heck, maybe they both are.

The Ozil negotiations are dragging on, though. That much is fact. Arsenal are notoriously tight with the purse strings and Ozil – much like Sanchez – is going to want paying like one of the best players in the world. Are the Gunners going to stretch that far?

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If they don’t other cubs will. The Gunners have good momentum at the minute and they need to capitalize on that by re-signing both Ozil and Sanchez. By continuing to build on what could prove to be a successful time for the club.

Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season, Wenger then spent big in the summer and now the Gunners are firing on all cylinders at the start of the new campaign. Things are going well, but the exit of either Ozil or Sanchez would dampen that.

The exit of both would bring it to a screeching halt. There’s also the speculation about Arsene Wenger and his future. Is this his last season? Will he extend his contract? Will he move into a role in the boardroom after this season?

The club is in a precarious position right now. Things could one of two ways. That’s not necessarily a good thing. Potentially, it’s unrest. Stability is what the club really needs. Which is why re-signing a player like Ozil is so important.

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It’s more than just re-signing a talented playmaker. It’s sends a bold message about where the club are heading. But if the German did leave the club, then it would send a message of the opposite variety. Ozil must be re-signed. Sanchez, too.