Mesut Ozil’s contract situation remains unresolved with Arsenal, despite Arsene Wenger stating his future would have been made clear to supporters by now.

Amid all the speculation about Alexis Sanchez’s future, Ozil’s own future has gone under the radar. Nobody has forgotten that he’s out of contract in the summer, but the lack of progress has to be a concern.

It’s extra worrying this month, as Ozil is allowed to speak with foreign clubs. Arsene Wenger insists that talks are ongoing, and that he’s confident of the German staying at the club.

“It looks like Sanchez will not extend his contract. But we want to keep Jack [Wilshere] and if we have an opportunity maybe to keep Ozil, the rebuild will be less deep than if all the three left,” her said, as reported by the Metro.

“There is still an opportunity for him to stay. Are talks still alive? Yeah, very much so. Am I more optimistic than in the summer? Yes.

“It’s [about] both [money and trophies], always. These guys want to win, and they want to make money as well. So, they want a combination of the two, that big clubs can give them.

“Incidentally he’s won trophies with us. So he wants to fight as well for the Premier League, that’s normal, when you are at that level.”

He said something similar in December after saying that “negotiations are going on with everybody”. With respect to the process and the scale of the deal, this saga has been going on for far too long.

Every update Wenger gives is scarcely an update. They’re more reminders of a situation that has barely changed since last season. The two parties seem to be in talks, but have yet to make a breakthrough.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the 29-year-old was carefully considering his options, given the state of the team at the moment. A January move looks unlikely, but we’ll see what happens should an agreement not be reached by the end of the window.