Wenger: Contract talks with Mesut Özil have ‘slowed down’ but have not stopped

Earlier today, we reported a story from the German newspaper SportBild saying there had been no contract talks between the club and Mesut Özil since February.

Arsene Wenger was asked about the report in his Europa League press conference today, and he flatly denied it. He said, “the contract talks have slowed down a little bit since August 31, because we need a little breather and to focus on the competition. But we will slowly get back into that.”

Wenger also said that he is still interested in re-signing the German international and that he is hopeful a deal will get done.

According to the Mirror, the two sides have a ways to go to reach a deal. The club have reportedly offered £275,000 per week while Özil’s camp is seeking £350,000.