Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has revealed his family would be happy if he returned to play for his boyhood club Schalke.
Ozil will only have 12 months remaining on his existing deal next month and there are still doubts over whether he will commit his long term future to the club.
The Germany international is reportedly demanding in the region of £300,000-a-week in order to stay at Arsenal but the 28-year-old has opened the door to a potential return to Schalke in the future.
“Schalke is my absolute favourite club, I’m still a big fan,” Ozil told Funke Media Group, via The Daily Express. “After all, I grew up with Schalke.
“In terms of potential, Schalke is the number three for me in Germany after Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
“They have wonderful fans and a great stadium. It is a pity that they are struck in mediocrity. This fantastic club deserves more. My family would be very happy about a return.”
Ozil started his career with Schalke before securing a move to Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in 2008 where his career really kicked on. From there, he completed a move to Real Madrid in 2010 were he spent three years before making a club-record transfer to Arsenal for £42.4m in 2013.
The Arsenal creator-en-chief has divided opinions among fans at the Emirates and it remains completely unknown where the German will be playing his football next season as contract talks rumble on.
However, since joining Arsenal, Ozil has registered at least four more assists than any other player in the Premier League (42).
For more stats on Mesut Ozil, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
