Arsenal news: Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez contract talks to open to avoid free transfer threat, says Arsene Wenger

Both Özil and Sanchez are out of contract in 2018 but Wenger has revealed that the club will look to extend their deals as soon as possible

Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez are to open contract talks with Arsenal in the coming weeks (Getty)

Arsenal will reopen contract talks with star players Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez in the hope of preventing the pair entering the final 12 months of their current deals, Arsene Wenger has confirmed.

Both Özil and Sanchez are tied down to contracts that expire in 2018, and the Premier League club are determined to extend their deals in an effort to keep hold of their best players and signal their intent to challenge for silverware.

Arsenal attempted to finalise a contract extension with Özil during the summer, but the Germany international delayed talks until after he returned from the European Championships, and there was a further setback when the 27-year-old refused to enter negotiations until Arsenal had concluded their transfer business.

The signings of Lucas Perez and fellow Germany international Shkodran Mustafi – who enjoyed an impressive debut in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Southampton – in addition to the arrivals of Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding earlier in the transfer window appears to have eased any concerns both Özil and Sanchez had over entering contract negotiations, and the club are optimistic that new deals will be announced in the coming weeks.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s opening Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain, Wenger said: “Ozil and Sanchez, we will start to talk for their extensions.”

Özil earns £140,000-a-week at Arsenal, more than any other player in the squad, and recent reports suggest the playmaker could be in line to earn up to £200,000-a-week to reward him for his form last season where he led the assist chart across the Premier League. Sanchez, who receives £130,000-a-week, is expected to enjoy an increase to around £175,000-a-week, should he agree terms.

Premier League Table and Fixtures 2016/17 | PointAfter

The danger for Arsenal remains their contracts entering the final 12 months next summer, hence Wenger publicly admitting that he wants to secure them to the club before other clubs become interested. Should the Gunners fail to negotiate terms, both Özil and Sanchez would be free to negotiate free transfer away from the club from January 2018 ahead of the expiration of their contracts that summer.