Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has now told Barcelona that he would happily take a pay cut to join the Camp Nou outfit, amid Xavi Hernandez’s interest in his late window transfer.
Hector Bellerin now tells Barcelona he’d take pay cut to leave Arsenal
According to Marca, Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany has phoned the agent of Hector Bellerin to discuss his transfer from Arsenal. The La Liga giants are exploring his situation in north London, with Xavi Hernandez determined to purchase a new right-back.
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Xavi sees the position as a priority area to improve before the summer sales slam shut on September 1. But the Blaugrana boss favours moves for Villarreal defender Juan Foyth or Borussia Dortmund star Thomas Meunier over a possible return to Catalunya for Bellerin.
An advantage that former Barcelona academy gem Bellerin has over Foyth and Meunier is that Arsenal are looking to offload the 27-year-old. It is also still possible that Mikel Arteta lets the four-cap Spain international leave north London free of charge to clear his salary.
Bellerin earns £110k-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, and entered the final year of his deal this June. But Alemany knows from contacting his agent that the Badalona-born star would also be willing to reduce his wage to secure a return to Barcelona after 11 years at Arsenal.
Alemany and the rest of the Barcelona hierarchy will discuss with Xavi what right-back they will sign next week. Their immediate focus is on selling players who hold fringe roles at the club, in order to clear enough space in their wage bill to register Jules Kounde with La Liga.
Real Betis financial issues saw Hector Bellerin offer himself to Atletico Madrid
Bellerin is desperate to leave Arsenal this summer, having fallen out of favour under Mikel Arteta further since returning from a year-long loan spell to Real Betis last term. He is now the Gunners’ fourth-choice right-back to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White and Cedric Soares.
A permanent return to Real Betis has been Bellerin’s main priority so far this summer. But Manuel Pellegrini’s side cannot currently afford to finalise his arrival, despite agreeing to a four-year contract already, as Estadio Deportivo note Arsenal hope to earn €10m (£8.5m).
As such, ABC Sevilla note Bellerin has also offered his services to Atletico Madrid to try and find a route away from Arsenal. It may be that a return to Barcelona, where he did not play in a senior game, is his destination, though, simply for being the cheapest of Xavi’s options.
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