Is Ozil looking to strike gold with possibly one of his last contract negotiations?

Arsenal contract rebel Mesut Ozil will move to Barcelona only on two conditions, according to Don Balon.

The Spanish publication claims that the German midfield maestro wants €19 million a year for the duration of a minimum of three years and assurances that he will be on Ernesto Valverde’s first-team sheet week in, week out.

Should this be true, the German seems to on mission to squeeze everything he can out of his current contractual situation. His desired salary comes to around €530k per week which would make him among the world’s richest footballers. And with the presence of Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic in the team, his first-team spot would not be cemented in any way.

Having in mind that the Catalan club’s main transfer target this January is Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, Ozil seems to be a bit extravagant in his demands. No wonder he hasn’t signed a new contract with the Gunners.

If what Don Balon reports comes anywhere near the truth, Ozil is likely looking to capitalise on interest from a number of elite European clubs, among which Bayern Munich and Manchester United, in bid to squeeze out the money from what seems to be one of his last big contract negotiations. With him turning 30 next October, he only has two or three more years before his salary takes a significant plunge, and this seems to be the right moment to be negotiating for all he can get.

There is no way in a million that Arsenal could offer him that much, and even if they could, they would not have assurances that he will choose to stay as Alexis Sanchez is bound to leave as soon as this January. 

Ozil has been heavily criticised for lacking motivation because of his lazy style of playing in the past year, but his form has taken a turn for the better in his last 10 matches: three goals and four assists. 

The German will be free to talk with other clubs in January as his contract runs out in the summer of next year.