Mesut Özil is drawing attention from the Chinese Super League as the Arsenal midfielder has yet to sign an extension with the Premier League giants with only 16 months left on his contract at the Emirates.

Özil, 28, has been with Arsenal for three-and-a-half seasons since he was acquired in the summer of 2013 from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid for a transfer fee of $53.4 million. He has been one of the team's key players, scoring 29 goals and appearing in 144 games in all competitions since then.

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However, the Germany international has recently been blasted by football fans and analysts alike because of his latest lackluster performances that resulted in the Gunners' poor form both in the Premier League and Champions League.

Arsenal has dropped to the fourth spot in the English top-flight table from as high as number two after two straight losses while the team also lost their first leg round-of-16 knockout match versus Bayern Munich, 1-5, at the Allianz Arena on Feb. 15.

With that, speculations abound that Özil is thinking about leaving the Emirates this summer to start anew.

The Sun reported that several Chinese clubs are ready to double the German's £300,000 ($377,000) per week salary in England before the new rules regarding the limit of foreign players per squad were announced.

There were also rumors saying that Özil does not want to be back with the Gunners next season if head coach Arsene Wenger will not return as well. Wenger's deal is set to expire at the end of the season and it is still unclear whether the 67-year-old French mentor still wants to continue his coaching career or retire.

Meanwhile, Metro indicated that Özil would like to remain in Arsenal despite all the criticism he is receiving. The World Cup-winning midfielder is said to be waiting for Wenger to sign a new deal before he commits his future with the Highbury, London outfit.

TagsChinese Super League, Chinese Super League rumors, Chinese Super League rumors 2017, Mesut Ozil, Arsenal FC