Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he expects Mesut Ozil to remain at the Emirates beyond January despite the ongoing speculation over his future.
The Germany international has entered the final six months of his existing deal, and he is apparently free to discuss contractual terms with a foreign side.
Speaking ahead of the Crystal Palace game, Wenger was asked whether he sees Ozil at the club in February, to which he replied: “Yes, of course.” Meanwhile, when quizzed whether he could on the potential departure of Ozil this month, Wenger added with a simple ‘No’.
The Gunners have not scheduled contract talks with the attacker since March last year, but the club are likely to hold another series of negotiations with the German likely to stay put for the remainder of his deal.
However, this does not appear the case with Sanchez with Wenger confirming the Chilean’s ‘likely’ departure to Manchester United in a proposed exchange deal which could see Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the other way.
Arsenal suffered a huge dent to their Champions League hopes for next season after a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth last weekend. As a result, the club are eight points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with just 15 matches left in the campaign.
There has been the talk of reuniting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Mkhitaryan this month, but the former remains ineligible to feature in Europe this term with Borussia Dortmund also participating in the Europa League in the second half of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Wenger confirmed that Ozil should return to the Gunners ranks after a three-game absence, where he has been sidelined with a swollen knee, which has hampered him on multiple occasions this term.
