Arsenal could have to lower their asking price for Mesut Özil, with no suitors reportedly willing to match the Gunners’ valuation of the midfielder.

The Gunners have a decision to make on the German international, as they’re running out of time to tie before he can speak to foreign clubs and sign a pre-contract deal.

Arsenal risk losing Ozil for free if they fail to sell him in January, and clubs aren’t keen to pay a large sum for his signature as a result. According to the Express, the Gunners may now have to settle for a price as low as £26m for Ozil if they try to sell in the new year.

The £26m price tag would likely apply to English clubs, let alone interested parties abroad, meaning the playmaker could be set to join a direct rival for considerably less than Arsenal paid back in 2013.

Although I wouldn’t have believed this a couple of months ago, it’s starting to look more likely, with the player’s agent saying: “(Ozil) wants to play another two to three years in the Premier League”.

If the World Cup winner isn’t going to play for a foreign club, and doesn’t sign a new Arsenal contract, that only leaves the Premier League as a potential destination. This weakens the Gunners’ negotiating position somewhat.

If the English clubs think the 29-year-old could be about to sign a pre-contract agreement with the likes of Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, then they may be willing to pay more to stop him doing so.

If the likes of Manchester United know that only English clubs are interested, then they’re essentially just paying for the six months extra they’ll get by buying him in January. In my opinion, replacing Arsenal’s key creative player with £26m or less isn’t going to be easy.