Barcelona have praised Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin amidst reported interest from the club, and now reports claim the Gunners are willing to sell.
The 21 year-old has been heavily impressive since making his breakthrough in 2014, highlighted by his inclusion in last season’s Premier League PFA Team of the Year.
Bellerin has since made his full Spain debut, and was even a late call-up to the Spain squad for the European Championships.
He has fast become a fans favourite at the Emirates Stadium, and interest in his signature is not welcomed by me or any other fan, but Barcelona look to be firming up their interest.
The Spanish giants are believed to be frustrated with Aleix Vidal’s performances at right-back this term, following his promotion to first-choice in the absence of the departed Dani Alves, and are now keen on bringing in a more able replacement for the Brazilian.
Amidst the speculation, Barca vice-president Jordi Mestre has moved to praise the full-back, whilst hinting that he could be able to take Alves place in the team.
He said: “We’ve already seen him as a Cule [Barcelona follower]. He’s a great player, there’s no doubt about that. Wenger convinced him to move and promised him something which we couldn’t. We could not promise him that within two years he would be playing in Dani Alves’ place.”
This is not good news for us, as this could lead to a similar situation to that which saw Cesc Fabregas rejoin Barca back in 2011.
It is now being claimed that we are ‘accustomed’ to selling the first-team defender, with a £30 Million fee being touted in the report.
Is there some sort of unwritten rule that we will let the youngsters signed by Barcelona to return when ready? Would we have had to promise Bellerin he could move back should the opportunity arrive?
Pat J