Mesut Ozil is reportedly close to agreeing a new contract with Arsenal, that could see him earning an eyewatering £14.6m-a-year.

Arsenal could soon receive a big boost this summer as one of their key players looks set to stay. According to the Express, Mesut Ozil is close to signing a new contract Arsenal worth £280,000 per week.

They claim it’s because nobody else wants him so he’s just settling on Arsenal. Nevertheless, this is still good news. While talks are said to be going well, Arsenal retaining Ozil is an important step towards building a squad capable of challenging for the title.

The German international has been a divisive player among supporters. There will be some who think he’s not worth £280,000 per week. Ozil would be Arsenal’s out-and-out highest earner and one of the top earners in world football – £14.6m-a-year.

This could be seen as over-paying a player whose form can dip partway through the season. But on the other hand, Arsenal would almost certainly be criticised if they refused to meet his demands.

Player salaries have exploded and Arsenal are now expected to match their rivals to keep top talent at the club. While people may be against paying Ozil so much money on principle, the Gunners will lose him for nothing if they can’t come to an agreement.

And why wouldn’t Arsenal want to keep him? Ozil has been a perfect fit in the new 3-4-2-1 system. He remains one of the most creative players in the world and now has a quick and intelligent striker in Alexandre Lacazette to feed.

Keeping hold of him not only makes Arsenal a better team, but sends a positive message to the fans and players. Ozil has looked good in pre-season so far too, and will need to have a big season for Arsenal to get back into the Champions League.