Arsenal give Per Mertesacker a one-year contract extension but Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are still yet to commit futures to the Gunners

PER MERTESACKER has signed a new one-year deal with Arsenal, according to reports.

The German international has not played this season after picking up calf and knee injuries and still far off being ready to return to action.

But are reporting that despite being out of action all this term, Mertesacker has has put-pen-to-paper on a contract extension.

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The deal will keep him at the club until 2018 and will keep him earning a cool £70,000-a-week in wages.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will think about sending his captain out on loan for the rest of the season when he is fit again.

But the Frenchman wants to keep Mertesacker at the club for another year.

Mertesacker has great leadership qualities and as a World Cup winner with Germany can help influence the younger players in the Gunners dressing room.

The former Werder Bremen star was made club captain in the summer which shows how much Wenger values him.

Mertesacker’s renewal follows the recent extensions of  Laurent Koscielny, Olivier Giroud and Francis Coquelin.

The Gunners trio gave Wenger a boost as they committed their futures to the Emirates club.

But Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are still yet to sign new contracts with the Gunners.

Negotiations have stalled as the Gunners are refusing to cave to their massive £300,000-a-week wage demands.