Man Utd target chose Arsenal over £100m move to China
The Arsenal star has been the subject of plentiful criticism this season for not living up to expectations, and has been linked with a departure away from the Emirates this summer.
"When I got an offer from China last summer, however, I didn’t need his [Pires's] advice because the offer was too absurd," Ozil wrote in his autobiography 'Gunning for Greatness' (via Goal.Com).
"The Chinese were prepared to pay me £100 million 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’re 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'.
“And so the matter was settled.”
The German star has recently been linked to a move to Manchester United by the Daily Mirror (via Le10Sport), with Jose Mourinho already an admirer (but also a critic!) of Ozil’s in their time together in Madrid.
Ozil also told the Bild that "my mother would welcome it if I were closer to home” when asked about a possible move to Bayern Munich.