Nacho Monreal almost certain of Hector Bellerin stay

Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal feels that Hector Bellerin will not be leaving the Gunners anytime soon despite the ongoing gossip over his future. The 22-year-old is a transfer target for former club Barcelona, who are yet to find the perfect player to perform their right-back duties.

Bellerin has evolved into a top-class performer for the Gunners since his breakthrough in 2014, and he is now one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s teamsheet.

Loyalty towards the manager was a key reason behind Bellerin signing a long-term deal last November, and Monreal has backed his compatriot to stay put at the Emirates next season.

“He’s an Arsenal player and almost certainly he will stay here,” Monreal told Mundo Deportivo, via The Mail.

Arsenal already have the contract situations of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to deal with in the coming weeks, and Bellerin’s saga is likely to be ignored by the club’s hierarchy.

Barcelona struggled to find an attacking threat from the right side of the defence following Dani Alves’ switch to Juventus last year, and this caused them significantly in their La Liga defence.

Bellerin has previously cited that he is pleased to be linked with a club of Barcelona’s calibre, but this does not diminish his commitment towards the FA Cup holders.

The right-sided defender is currently on international duty with Spain at the Under-21 European championships, and a long run could see miss the first few weeks of pre-season training.

Nevertheless, the club have an ideal backup in place in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had impressed with his tireless work rate following his shift to the unfamiliar right wing-back spot.

Arsenal have made the sole signing of Schalke’s Sead Kolasinac this summer, and the club will have to open their chequebooks in the coming weeks with Wenger desperate to add a free-flowing striker to his ranks ahead of next season.

Image – Getty