Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has spoken out regarding transfer rumors linking him with an Emirates exit.
The playmaker of Turkish origin has been linked with several clubs including most recently Basaksehir after being spotted with the Super Lig champions head coach Okan Buruk.
Ozil did not feature at all for Arsenal after the Premier League returned following the coronavirus disruptions.
READ: The Secret Life Of Arsenal Star Mesut Ozil
The 31-year-old did not make a single appearance which led to rumors regarding his future at the club.
Ozil has made it clear that he will see out his contract at Arsenal and that he is not leaving.
“Things have been difficult but I love Arsenal,” he told the Athletic. “I’ll decide when I go, not other people.”
“I’ll give everything I have for this club,” Ozil added. “Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again.”
That leaves the Gunners having to pay their most expensive player his £350,000-a-week wages for the 2020-21 season.
It would be a very costly decision if head coach Mikel Arteta was to leave his highest-paid player out of the squad next season.
Ozil also spoke out about his refusal of accepting a 12.5% pay cut in April because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Gunners also recently announced they plan to make 55 staff redundant because of the financial climate due to the pandemic.
Ozil stated: We didn’t get enough details, we just had to give a decision. This was not fair, especially for the young guys, and I refused.
“People who know me know exactly how generous I am and, as far as I’m aware, I was not the only player who rejected the cut in the end, but only my name came out.
“I guess that’s because it is me and people have been trying for two years to destroy me, to make me unhappy, to push an agenda they hope will turn the supporters against me and paint a picture that is not true.
“Possibly the decision affected my chances on the pitch, I don’t know. But I’m not afraid to stand up for what I feel is right – and when you see what has happened now with the jobs, maybe I was.”
