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Hector Bellerín is set to leave Arsenal this summer.
He spent last season on loan at Real Betis, the club he supported as a boy, and, having helped them win the Copa del Rey, has made no secret of the fact that he would like to move their permanently.
However, the Seville club are cash strapped and cannot afford Arsenal’s valuation of him.
Instead both Roma and Fiorentina have indicated that they are willing to meet Bellerín’s £9 million asking price.
Arsenal have good relations with Roma having previously lent them Ainsley Mailtand-Niles.
The same cannot be said of Fiorentina after they reneged on the agreed option to buy price for midfielder Lucas Torreira, leading to the Uruguayan to refer obliquely to some dark forces at work at the club.
For the moment, the 27-year old will report to pre-season training with the Gunners next week, but it is doubtful if he will be an Arsenal player by the end of the transfer window.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.