It is no secret that Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the Champions League has put the futures of the Gunners’ big stars in serious doubt. While reports in regards to Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have dominated media attention, one rumor that has refused to die down on the sidelines is Hector Bellerin’s proposed move back to Barcelona, with new manager Ernesto Valverde reportedly keen on the player’s services.
The source of the latest report in regards to the story, Spanish paper Sport, further claim that the Catalan giants’ Sporting Director Roberto Fernandez is scheduled to meet the Arsenal star personally in the coming days to conduct negotiations ahead of a £44 million move back to the Nou Camp for the young Spanish star, with Barca identifying the right-back slot as one of the areas that need to be bolstered ahead of the new campaign.
Well, the story does seem to make some sense considering that Barca are indeed looking for reinforcements at right-back and Bellerin being a product of the club’s renowned La Masia academy. With the 22-year-old making waves ever since breaking into the Gunners’ first-team, you could see why his former club would want him back. However, this is all the credibility I can see about the story.
As the player recently signed a new long-term contract at the Emirates, Arsenal are under no pressure to sell. More importantly, there does not seem to be much interest from Bellerin himself, with the former Barca man reiterating his desire to stay with the Gunners recently, saying: “I signed my contract because I wanted to be here. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”
Despite losing his place recently to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the flying Spaniard produced some splendid performances after the Englishman’s injury and is firmly established as the Gunners’ first-choice right wing-back. So while the interest from Barcelona is quite evident for all to see, I believe that Bellerin will stay put this summer and continue to thrive on Arsenal’s right flank.
Can you really see Wenger letting Bellerin leave just one year into a six-year contract? In your dreams, you all know how Wenger feels about fulfilling contracts!
AT