Ozil: China offer was ‘too absurd’ to consider
Date published: Monday 17th April 2017 10:00
Mesut Ozil has revealed he turned down a mega-offer from an unnamed Chinese Super League club last summer.
The Arsenal midfielder’s future at the club is far from certain at the end of the season as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract at The Emirates.
Turkish side Fenerbache are the favourites to sign the German international, but Ozil is said to be holding out for an elite club.
And the 28-year-old has revealed he had the opportunity to leave Arsenal last summer after a Chinese Super League team offered a sensational amount for his services.
Ozil revealed in his new book Gunning for Greatness: My Life that he turned down a deal worth £100million over a five-year period to remain in London.
“When I got an offer from China last summer I didn’t need advice because the offer was too absurd,” he wrote.
“The Chinese were prepared to pay me £100million net over a period of five years. A fairy tale amount of money that went beyond the limits of my imagination.
“In spite of this, it took me less than three minutes to decline the offer.
“My agent, Erkut, called me to let me know about the bid. He said: ‘I think we’re agreed what we are going to do, aren’t we? You won’t consider it will you?’
“I’m nowhere near the end of my career, I replied. I still want to win titles with Arsenal.
“I don’t want to play in China no matter how much they’re willing to pay. No way.”
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