Wenger rules out selling star pair

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no interest in selling Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez and is optimistic they will agree contract extensions.

Both players have 18 months remaining on their existing deals and it has been reported that they want £300,000-a-week to remain at the Emirates Stadium beyond June 2018.

It is unclear if Arsenal will be prepared to break their wage structure to keep the pair and they could be forced to let one or both of them leave if they fail to agree new contracts.

Sanchez has attracted interest from several Chinese Super League clubs as well as Chelsea and Manchester City, while Ozil has been linked with a return to Real Madrid, but Wenger has vowed to do all he can to keep the pair.

"Eighteen months is quite long in football. They have 18 months on their contracts and are completely committed to do well as long as they are here," Wenger told reporters ahead of Saturday's Premier League game against Stoke.

"Beyond that we will try to extend their contracts but I can't make that a subject of every press conference as that is normal. These players have 18 months, they will be staying 18 months and hopefully much longer. I don't believe that it is a problem.

"A contract is between two parties and on my side the best position is to achieve it early. You have to accept that negotiations are private and secret and we don't have to explain what we do with negotiations."

When asked about reports that a Chinese club was prepared to pay Sanchez £400,000-a-week, Wenger added: "Why should you go to China when you are playing in England? We live in a world where the great players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil earn a lot of money and have the privilege to choose where they want to play.

"The commitment of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil is absolute total and I'm very pleased with that. We are professionals and the first quality is to give 100%, it is here and now, that is what it means to be professional and to be fully committed to the cause."

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