Arsenal will have to dig in over Liverpool target.
Arsenal face a big test from Barcelona as the La Liga giants step up their pursuit of Hector Bellerin.
The Spaniard left Barcelona as a teenager to join Arsenal and the Catalan club have been keen on bringing him back ever since.
Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in action
Bellerin’s exit would make Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain even more important to Arsenal – and end Liverpool’s hopes of signing the 23-year-old, for another year at least.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract expires in a year’s time, but Arsenal would have to dig in and keep him next year regardless, hoping to tie him to an extension.
Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in action
At the end of last season Oxlade-Chamberlain displaced Bellerin as Arsene Wenger’s first choice as he shifted formation to play with wing-backs.
Bellerin came back into the team for the FA Cup Final when Oxlade-Chamberlain got injured, but the England ace had stated his case.
More than at any point since breaking into the team, Bellerin is somewhat expendable, and Barcelona smell blood.
If Arsenal do give in, then Liverpool’s hopes of signing Oxlade-Chamberlain will be over
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