Arsenal chief upbeat about Ozil and Sanchez contract talks, admits Wenger is looking to strengthen squad

Arsenal general secretary David Miles has revealed that the club's contract talks with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are looking pretty good at the moment which will come as a boost to everyone connected to the club.

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the club are in talks with the duo about extending their contracts which has 18 months to run. Wages are said to be the sticking point with both players demanding a significant increase from their current package.

The German midfielder is said to currently be on £140,000-a-week ($177,980) while the Chilean forward is said to earn £10,000-a-week less than his teammate. Ozil and Sanchez have started this season and are leading Arsenal's charge in the Premier League and Champions League.

The duo have scored a combined 22 goals and provided 17 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions this season, which has seen the north London club qualify on top of their group in the Champions League, with Bayern Munich waiting in the last 16 stages, and climb to second in the Premier League just three points behind in-form Chelsea.

Wenger and everyone connected to Arsenal will be hoping that the two stars of the first-team squad commit their long-term future to the club sooner rather than later so as to shift the focus back to the game rather than their contracts.

"Of course, we know talks are ongoing with certain players and certain contracts. At the moment, things are looking pretty good in that way," Miles said following the Champions League last 16 draw in Nyon on Monday (12 December), as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

The Gunners' general secretary also revealed that Wenger could strengthen the squad in January, but admitted the final call on transfers has always been in the hands of the Frenchman. Arsenal look strong in all departments this season following the arrivals of forward Lucas Perez, defenders Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding and midfielder Granit Xhaka and with adequate cover in all positions, it is unlikely the manager will dip into the transfer market unless as Wenger usually says during the transfer season "a top quality player" becomes available.

"Obviously that's Arsene's domain, and it's in very safe hands. I know he's already looking for opportunities to strengthen the squad," the general secretary added.