Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists he is not going to sell Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in this summer’s transfer window regardless of their contract situations.
The pair are due to be out of contract and free to leave the Emirates Stadium for nothing at the end of next season, but Wenger insists that won’t prompt him to cash in on them this year.
The Frenchman is committed to keeping his best players and does not believe this would risk a dip in their performance levels towards the theoretical end to their time at the club.
Both Sanchez and Ozil have stalled for some time on committing to new deals with the Gunners, though some reports suggest progress is being made with the latter.
Wenger, however, is not phased by the situation and has attempted to put some fans’ minds at ease by insisting that they will not be leaving in this transfer window.
‘This summer, first of all, they will stay at the club and hopefully we can extend their contract,’ the 67-year-old told beIN Sports.
‘You know, you cannot weaken the club and weaken the team. We want to strengthen the team…unless you find a player of the same calibre and they absolutely want to leave. I believe that at the moment we are not on that front. We are just focused on keeping the team together and see how to strengthen the team.
‘When you sign a contract somewhere you commit to give your best until the last day of the contract. I would say why should they not give their best. The interest of any footballer is to play football and well. Even more so when you’re at the end of your contract, your interest is always to give your best and if you’re a winner, to win the game.’
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