Arsenal have confirmed that Japanese forward Takuma Asano will spend a second consecutive season on loan at German side VFB Stuttgart.
The North London side announced the move for the 22-year-old on their official Twitter account:
Good luck with @VfB next season, @AsaTaku29 https://t.co/zZhakbqis6
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 22, 2017
Asano, who can play as an out-and-out striker, an inside forward or a right winger, originally joined the Gunners in the summer of 2016 from Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but was immediately loaned out to Stuttgart as Arsenal looked to earn him a work permit for the UK.
He helped the South West German side earn promotion from the second tier of German football, as he made 26 appearances, scoring four goals and contributing four assists.
However, the London Evening Standard report that he still has not met the criteria to qualify for a work permit, and so has been shipped off on loan for another season.
Asano also has international experience, with 11 appearances and two goals for Japan, as well as three Olympic appearances for his country.
He will be hoping that his Arsenal career goes better than his fellow Japanese international Ryo Miyaichi, who managed to pick up just one Premier League appearance and played in seven games in all competitions.
Like Asano, Miyaiachi was immediately loaned out following his arrival in 2011, and spent most of his Gunner contract at the club on loan at the likes of Bolton and FC Twente before leaving in 2015.