Arsenal news: Gunners hopeful Shkodran Mustafi signing will persuade Mesut Özil to sign new contract

Ozil is out of contract in 2018 and delayed talks over a new deal during the summer

Arsenal want Mesut Ozil to sign a new contract with the club (Getty)

Arsenal believe that the signing of Germany international Shkodran Mustafi will convince Mesut Özil to stay at the club and sign a new contract after talks broke down during the summer.

Özil put talks on hold until after Euro 2016 as he attempted to remain focused on Germany’s international campaign in France, but negotiations afterwards proved unsuccessful despite Arsenal’s intent on tying the 27-year-old down to a new deal.

With Alexis Sanchez also delaying contract talks, there is a fear at the Emirates Stadium that the pair could seek a move when they head into the final 12 months of their respective contracts, but The Mirror reports that the north London club are hoping that the arrival of £30m defender Mustafi will convince Özil to stay with the club.

Özil’s current deal expires in 2018, and he has delayed extension talks in order to see if the club match his ambition with their business in the transfer window. With Arsene Wenger spending close to £90m on Mustafi, Granit Xhaka, Lucas Perez, Rob Holding and Takuma Asano, it remains to be seen if Özil has been impressed by the Gunners’ busy transfer window, or if he feels that his future lies elsewhere.

Mustafi is one of Özil’s close friends and the pair have formed a strong bond when on international duty, with Wenger hoping that the centre-back’s arrival will be enough to convince the Germany midfielder to stay in London. Any new deal for Özil is likely to see his wages rise towards the £200,000-a-week mark, which would represent a significant increase on his current package of £140,000 weekly salary.

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Another player Arsenal are keen to tie down is forward Alexis Sanchez, with the Chile international also out of contract in 2018. The Sanchez has appeared less keen to negotiate a new deal after rejecting talks in the summer, but the report adds that he could look to sign a new deal that includes a buy-out clause should a more attractive offer arrive in the next 12 months.