Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil was paid an £8million loyalty bonus in September despite being frozen out by manager Mikel Arteta.
The Athletic reports the 31-year-old was handed the hefty sum as part of an arrangement negotiated when he signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2018.
The bonus was written into his contract as an incentive to keep him at Emirates Stadium until the end of his contract, but things have played out very differently since Ozil put pen to paper on fresh terms.
Ozil has not played a single minute since the 2019-20 season restarted after lockdown earlier this year, and he was axed from their 25-man Europa League squad last week.
The former Real Madrid man must now wait until October 20 to learn if he has a spot in Arteta's Premier League squad.
Though Arsenal are keen to move Ozil on, he has regularly spelt out his intention to remain in north London until the end of his contract in July 2021.
