Hertha Berlin opt out of move for Arsenal attacker Serge Gnabry

Hertha Berlin will not make a loan move for Arsenal attacker Serge Gnabry after initially showing interest in the player. The Bundesliga club were said to be planning either a temporary or a permanent move depending on the outcome of the winger's contract talks with the club.

The 21-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Stuttgart in 2011, has entered the final-year of his contract and according to German publication Sport Bild, talks with the club are underway over extending the current deal. It is believed that an extension could result in a possible move away to get regular first-team experience, but if contract talks do not progress, a possible permanent solution is mooted.

Gnabry made his debut in the Premier League during the 2012/13 campaign and went on to make nine appearances in the following campaign, but injuries and lack of form restricted him to just 12 minutes of Premier League football in the last two seasons. He has since returned to full fitness and is currently starring for the German U23 team at the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The versatile attacker has scored five goals in three games as Germany qualified for the quarter-finals of the football event, but despite his tremendous form it is unlikely he will be afforded regular first-team football at Arsenal. Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott, Joel Campbell and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are ahead of him in the pecking order for a place in the wide positions, which could prompt a loan or a permanent move away from the club.

The London Evening Standard understands that Hertha Berlin have now pulled out of the race despite showing interest, which could leave the door open for a loan move to the Championship or another Premier League club. Wenger will be keen for him to play regularly in the first-team unlike his spell with West Bromwich Albion last season when he played just once under Tony Pulis before his loan was cut short.