Arsenal news: Arsene Wenger insists Mesut Özil's future doesn't depend on his own and keeps wage demands secret

Wenger says Özil was 'misinterpreted' when it was claimed that his decision to sign a new deal will rely on Wenger extending his stay as Arsenal manager beyond the end of the season

Arsene Wenger has played down the importance of his own future on Mesut Özil's contract negotiations (Getty)

Arsene Wenger has played down the influence that his own Arsenal future will have on Mesut Özil’s decision to sign a new contract, and believes that the German midfielder has been somewhat misinterpreted after giving an interview earlier this week.

Speaking to Kicker Magazine, Özil was reported to have claimed that he is ready to sign a new deal with the Premier League club as long as Wenger is happy to commit his future in the form of a new contract. Wenger’s current deal has just five months to run until it expires, but the suggestion is that the 67-year-old will extend his stay in north London after passing 20 years in charge of the club this season.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Premier League trip to Swansea, Wenger was keen to play down Özil’s apparent revelation, and said that he believes the World Cup winner’s words may have not been quite what they seemed in relation to Wenger’s future being the deciding factor in his own negotiations.

“I think he has been a bit misinterpreted,” Wenger said at his pre-match press conference. “I don’t think that is the main part of his decision.

“We always speak, I speak more with his agent on the contract than with him.”

Wenger has had to face plenty of questions on the future of Özil as well as striker Alexis Sanchez, who like Özil will be out of contract in 2018 unless the club can secure an extension. The fear is that if the pair reach the end of the season without a new deal in place, they would be able to hold the club to ransom due to the possibility of leaving at the end of next season on a free transfer – something that could cost Arsenal in excess of £80m based on their sale potential.

But Wenger was keen to keep talks over their contract negotiations to a minimum,

He added: “Let’s not forget all these players have 18 months to go, that is a long time in football. I’m very relaxed.

“We have to keep that as quiet as possible and find an agreement. We have to respect our line of conduct that we always have.”

Both Özil and Sanchez are reported to be asking for weekly wages in excess of £200,000, which would represent a large rise on the current respective salaries of £140,000 and £130,000. The increase would also generate a large gulf between the two players and the rest of the squad when it comes to wages, with Theo Walcott the next highest earner on £120,000-a-week, and it would also represent the first time that a player earns more than Wenger since he arrived at the club.