Arsenal’s biggest stars, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, are entering the final few months on their contracts and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed the club may have to sell the duo once the winter transfer window opens in January.
“Once you are in our kind of situation we have envisaged every kind of solution yes. Yes, it’s possible,” Wenger said at a press conference in London.
The Chilean was on the verge of a deadline-day swap to Manchester City but the deal fell through at the last minute as Arsenal’s bid for his replacement, Thomas Lemar of AS Monaco, collapsed.
Meanwhile, Ozil has been rumoured to be eyeing a switch to arch-rivals Manchester United and both players will be eligible to sign a pre-contract on January 1, 2018.
However, the fact that Ozil’s agent has admitted the German could yet sign an extension has given Wenger hope that an agreement between the club and the player could still be reached.
“That’s my understanding, yes. I always said that the fact that we didn’t find an agreement last year doesn’t mean the player will necessarily leave. Both (Ozil and Alexis) look happy here and overall I hope that the situation can be turned around,” Wenger stressed.
Ozil has been struggling with a knee injury this season and has seen limited playing time but Wenger added that the German is fully fit and both Sanchez and he are likely to feature against Watford.
The Gunners, who had a calamitous start to the Premier League season but have since risen to 5th place, travel to Vicarage Road on Saturday, seeking their fifth consecutive win in all competitions.