Arsenal could reportedly face a battle to keep Hector Bellerin at the club if he is still part of Mikel Arteta’s plans as the number of interested clubs is increasing.
The Spaniard has established himself as an important player for the Gunners as although he has been dogged by injury problems along the way, he has made over 200 appearances for the club since making his breakthrough at senior level in the 2012/13 campaign.
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Now 25 years of age, he’s perhaps coming into the peak years of his career, but it appears as though Arsenal and boss Arteta may have a decision to make over his future this summer.
As noted by Calciomercato, via the Telegraph, it’s suggested that Bayer Leverkusen have joined Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in showing an interest in Bellerin, and so he won’t be short of options if he is open to considering an exit from the Emirates in the coming weeks.
However, perhaps the most important decision will come from Arteta over whether or not he sees Bellerin as an indispensable part of his plans moving forward, which in turn would mean that any interest would be rebuffed.
The Gunners do have Cedric Soares available in that role while other defensive stars have the experience and versatility to fill in when necessary, and so there could be enough there to suggest that an exit could happen.
That said, Bellerin is a natural option at right-back and will be hoping to really kick on under the current Arsenal boss in the coming years, and so although he could be an option to raise funds, it would arguably make more sense to keep him in north London to help the current squad continue to make progress under Arteta.