Bundesliga club add Arsenal star, who 'can leave' this summer, to transfer shortlist: Reports

Out-of-favor Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno could head back to Germany this summer after seeing his game time reduced at the north London club. Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin are believed to have put the 30-year old on their transfer shortlist.

Hertha's Marcel Lotka is set to join Borussia Dortmund as a free agent and their first-choice keeper Alexander Schwolow has been underwhelming in his two-year stint. BILD reported that if the German club are able to move Schwolow then signing the Arsenal goalkeeper is an option.

The German outlet suggests that Leno's name is on a five-man goalkeeper shortlist that Hertha is looking into. The 30-year old was a regular starter for the Gunners until last summer, when Aaron Ramsdale arrived.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta apparently does not trust the German with his distribution skills and his ability to play out from the back is evidently secondary to Ramsdale's.

Since then, Leno has only managed four Premier League appearances in the 2021-22 season and eight in total. Arteta has already secured a back-up keeper with USMNT's Matt Turner set to arrive this summer. This leaves the door open for Leno to exit and Hertha could provide him with regular playing opportunities between the posts.

However, the Arsenal man might be forced to compromise on his salary if he joins the German club. Leno earns around €6m-per-year at the north London club, a figure that he might not be receiving if he joins Hertha. He might have to forgo a significant chunk of his salary and that could complicate negotiations.

The 30-year old has previously had experience playing in the Bundesliga with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart, so it might not take him long to adjust to football in Germany.

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What are the other goalkeeping options for Hertha Berlin except the Arsenal goalkeeper?

As BILD reported, there are five names that have been drawn that Hertha could look to sign to guard the goal. Arminia Bielefeld's shot-stopper Stefan Ortega will be a free agent after serving at the club for five years and is mentioned on the list. He has also been associated with Schalke recently.

Timo Horn has also found playing opportunities at a premium at FC Koln and is being monitored by Hertha along with Arsenal's Leno. The two other names from foreign leagues that the Bundesliga club is keeping tabs on are Benfica's Odysseas Vlachodimos and Philipp Köhn from RB Salzburg.