Mesut Ozil is one of only three Arsenal players to have turned down a 12.5 per cent pay cut, according to the Daily Mail.
Earlier today the club have confirmed their players and coaching staff agreed to take one as the harsh financial reality of no football due to coronavrius sets in. Several hours before that David Ornstein reported that two players from the 27 in the squad rejected to take a cut on their salary.
And now the Daily Mail are saying there are three, actually. The paper is not saying who the other two are but Mesut Ozil is among the three. A swift reminder Ozil is the club's top earner on £350k per week.
It is understood he wants to know the full financial impact of coronavirus before making the decision. He is also open to a wage deferral of more than 12.5 per cent.
Ozil's agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, spoke to The Athletic on the matter today: "It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first-team squad and then asked them to go to the rest of the squad an get their consent to do it. That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place.
"A club may even ask a first-team manager to negotiate with players and this may influence some, particularly younger players or those on the fringe who fear there might be personal repercussions for him if he does not agree.
"In those circumstances, it could be questionable that any consent from the players would be legally binding anyway as some players are not in a position to give true consent if they are under pressure to do so."
Which is all well and good but now it looks like he was just laying the groundwork for when his client's refusal to take a cut eventually resurfaces. And it's not like Ozil is 'a younger player or someone on the fringes', given Arteta's willingness to field the German week in, week out.
If indeed true, what do you make of Ozil's refusal to take a cut? Let us know below or use our blogging platform to this end!
