Mesut Ozil insists he will stay at Arsenal until deal expires next summer

The Gunners are believed to have offered him a £18m pay-off to rip up his deal. However, despite links with a move to Turkey, the 31-year-old has told The Athletic he is staying. Ozil said: “My position is clear. I’m here through to the last day of our agreement and I’ll give everything I have for this club. Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again.” The German joined the club from Real Madrid in 2013 for £42.5m. “I’ll decide when I go, not other people," he said. “I didn’t sign for two or three years, I signed for four and that should be respected by everyone. “Things have obviously been difficult but I love Arsenal, I love to work there, I love the people in the club — the real people, those I’ve been with for a long time — and I love London, it’s my home. “Whatever happened in the last two seasons, I’m happy and very strong mentally. I never give up on anything. I want to help my team and I’ll fight for it. If I’m fit, I know what I can do on the pitch.” Due to the financial impact of the coronavirus, the majority of the Arsenal squad agreed to a pay-cut. However, Ozil was one of the players who refused to do so. But he said: “I can’t talk about my private conversations with the coach, but I can tell you I know my body well. My daughter was born while we were off so maybe I was not always sleeping perfectly, but this is normal. I actually had more energy and excitement to play because of her.” He added: “I fully respect the coach’s decision but I believe these things should mainly be decided on the pitch. After the restart, I wasn’t given a chance to show what I can do. You don’t play 10 games in a row if you’re unfit, not good enough or don’t behave well. If I played these games badly and was then left out completely for that reason then I might understand, but this was not the case.” Source: The Sun