Theo Walcott has put contract talks on hold with Arsenal until the end of the season.

Standard Sport understands that both parties are relaxed about the situation and are happy to wait until the summer to see how the Gunners finish the current campaign before advancing negotiations any further.

Walcott, 25, has just over a year left on his current £100,000-a-week contract and remains fully committed to the club, despite reported interest from a number of clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester City.

Wenger joked last week that “the first contacts have been established with the embassy” when discussing the nature of talks between the club and Walcott’s representatives, referencing the lengthy negotiations that took place before he signed his last deal in 2013.

A key element of talks in the past has been Walcott’s role in the side, with assurances previously sought that he would be given the chance to play more often as a striker.

However, more recently he has struggled to get into the team at all. Since making his first full start after a year out with a serious knee injury against Hull on January 4, Walcott has started just four of Arsenal’s 14 matches.

He played only 18 minutes on Tuesday as the Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League in Monaco and it is understood that Walcott is keen to see exactly how often he features over the coming weeks before advancing discussions on his contract.

Walcott, a lifelong Arsenal fan, has no intention at this stage of forcing a move away and, similarly, Wenger is keen to keep a player he has invested great faith in since paying Southampton £12million for him as a 16-year-old in January 2006.

Liverpool were interested in signing Walcott back then and current Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is an admirer, but the relationship between Arsenal and Walcott would have to break down considerably for both parties to consider him leaving for another Premier League club.

Wenger is happy for the time being to focus on Arsenal’s Premier League run-in and forthcoming FA Cup semi-final against Reading rather than engage in complex player negotiations. Last week, Wenger said: “Walcott was difficult to convince in 2013 and that is why it took us much time. I always wanted to keep him and I still want to keep him now.”