Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez stall on their Arsenal futures as they delay contract talks this summer
Arsene Wenger left sweating as star men enter final two years of their Emirates deals despite year-long negotiations
ARSENAL are sweating over the long-term futures of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez after the duo failed to sign new deals this summer.
Arsene Wenger was hoping to hand new contracts to his key men before the start of the season, with negotiations starting almost a year ago.
But neither player has been in a rush to lengthen their Emirates stay, and both have just two years remaining on their current deals.
Arsenal’s failure to conclude talks is surprising after Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere both secured lucrative long-term contracts in recent seasons.
Ozil has long been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich – with his former youth team coach urging a switch – while Sanchez was the subject of a bid from Juventus last month.
The Italian champions targeted the forward after losing Alvaro Morata to Real Madrid and failed with a £34million offer.
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But Wenger knows that he could be forced to sell both superstars next summer if they fail to put pen-to-paper during the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, the Frenchman has been boosted by the new that Brazilian defender Gabriel will only be out for around seven weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage in the pre-season friendly against Manchester City.
But Arsenal could yet move for a new centre-back after skipper Per Mertesacker was ruled out of action for five months.
The Gunners are hoping to hold talks with Valencia ace and former Everton man Shkodran Mustafi after being offered his services by third-party representatives.
Wenger is keen to strike a deal and wants to land the German for around £20m despite interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
But Valencia will play hard-ball due to Mustafi’s £42m release clause, with a bidding war looking likely before the transfer window slams shut.
