What's the story
Barcelona have come knocking at the Emirates with a £26.3m bid to lure Hector Bellerin to Nou Camp. After Arsene Wenger held talks with the Spanish speedster, Arsenal who were unwilling to hear offers for the full-back, have now seemingly changed their mind, as per sources in Spain, reported by the Metro.
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Bellerin had been tipped to a move away from Arsenal since the beginning of the summer. The Spanish international is a product of La Masia and had already indicated that he would like to make a return to the Catalan giants after developing well under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger.
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The heart of the matter
Barcelona are looking to find a fitting solution to their want for a agile, skillful and well-rounded right-back ever since the departure of the reliable Dani Alves. The void left by the Brazilian could not be efficiently filled by either Sergi Roberto or Aleix Vidal.
The Nou Camp outfit had earlier enquired about Benfica full-back Ruben Semedo but had been put off after the Portuguese side slapped a price tag of £55m on the Portuguese international.
Hector Bellerin is a player Arsene Wenger has the utmost faith in. This is evidenced by the fact that they tied him to the club on a contract till 2023. The Spaniard is also grateful to Wenger for the belief and the opportunities ever since joining the club at the age of 16.
Due to the presence of the long-term contract, Arsenal are in a position to demand a higher fee with reports of Barca probing with an opening bid of £26.3m topped with add-ons.
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Author's take
The Gunners look at Bellerin as their prised possession and Arsene Wenger will not be hassled to let him go without getting a hefty sum in return. The Spanish international is only 22 years old and has his entire career ahead of him.
He is one of the brightest young talents in the world and is gifted with the sort of pace that almost makes him peerless at the highest level. The La Masia product will be a welcome addition at any top club. Barcelona will have to pay up and they shouldn’t be reluctant to do it for the quality on offer will make sure that they can rest their heads.
Ernesto Valverde needs to sign quality players and build a squad for the future, and Bellerin is the sort of a player who can help them in both.
