Prem rules complicate Sanchez and Ozil deals

Ian Watson

Arsenal could be forced into selling a number of players if both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez agree new contracts at the club.

Ozil and Sanchez are about to enter the final year of their deals at the Emirates, with the Gunners keen to persuade both stars to remain at the club.

Sanchez is a man in demand, with Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea and PSG among the Chilean’s suitors, while interest in Ozil is a little more scarce.

But both stars are demanding hefty pay increases which could put Arsenal at odds with new Premier League regulations due to come into force this summer.

According to The Independent: “The rules say that a club’s wage bill should not be more than £7m more than it was in 2016-17, or £19m more than from the 2012-13 season.

“If it does increase beyond that limit, the money can only come from external sources such as player sales, ticketing or commercial money, rather than Premier League central funds.”

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Olivier Giroud and Jack Wilshere are among the big names who could be sacrificed in addition to a number of squad players, such as Kieran Gibbs, Lucas Perez, Carl Jenkinson and Mathieu Debuchy.

Arsenal are reported to be willing to pay Sanchez and Ozil around £280,000 a week, which could increase their wage bill by around £15million should they be successful in convincing both players to commit to new contracts.