Arsenal's failure to move on Mesut Ozil this summer has cost the club an extra £8million.
The German star is the club's highest-paid player, but despite starting all 10 Premier League games under Mikel Arteta before football was suspended in March, he has not seen a minute of action since the restart back in July.
Arsenal were keen to move the World Cup winner on this summer, with him apparently having no future in the team under Arteta.
But that proved to be a difficult proposition with the star's £350,000 per week wages amounting to a big stumbling block.
The club agreed to those wages back in January 2018, when both he and Alexis Sanchez had just six months remaining on their deals at the time.
Sanchez ultimately left for Manchester United, leaving the Gunners with the prospect of losing their two biggest stars cheaply.
The deal negotiated by the club runs until next summer, and Ozil has always insisted that he wants to remain with the club until at least the end of that term.
But the Athletic report that one major reason the club were looking to move him on this summer is a huge loyalty bonus that he was due in September.
The club were apparently forced to pay £8million to the 31-year-old, though his recent lack of time within the first team has meant saving some money on his performance-related pay.
There are still a few options left open to Ozil should he wish to move on, with the American transfer window open for another two weeks - though it looks unlikely a move will take place.
Ozil was reportedly the only Gunners player not to agree to a 12.5% pay cut during the COVID lockdown.
The Gunners squad were initially reluctant to agree to the move, seeking clarifications from the club on how the money would be spent.
That decision was brought up again recently with the news that the club were to make 55 members of staff redundant due to the pandemic.
