Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has signed a new three-and-a-half year deal and will stay at the club until 2021.

Mesut Ozil confirmed he is staying at Arsenal after signing a new three-and-a-half year contract at the Emirates Stadium which sees him earn £350,000 a week before tax, making him the highest paid player in the Premier League.

The deal ends months of speculation that Ozil was planning on leaving the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer when his current contract expired at the end of the season.

Mesut has won the Emirates FA Cup three times since joining Arsenal in 2013, making 182 appearances, scoring 36 goals and racking up 61 assists.

Arsene Wenger had long expressed his optimism that Ozil would sign an extension, more so than Alexis Sanchez, who moved to Manchester United in January with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way.

And Ozil has regularly spoken of his happiness at Arsenal and with life in London, which has been reflected in a consistent run of performances over recent months.

In a statement posted on his social media channels, Ozil wrote: “Proud to announce: I signed dat thing… 3 more years with Arsenal!”

“It’s been one of the most important decisions of my footballing career and that’s why I had to think hard and talk with everyone who’s important to me… Good things take time!”

“In the end I let my heart decide. As I always said, I feel at home here and I’m highly motivated to achieve big things in the next few years. Once a Gunner, always a Gunner!”