Arsenal must squeeze every ounce of Hector Bellerin value

Reports are claiming that Barcelona will try and sign Hector Bellerin on the cheap if Arsenal miss out on Champions League football. The Gunners must squeeze every ounce of value out of him if they do sell him.

Selling players is never a good way to assemble a squad. Arsenal, as much as any other club, have experienced the toils that it has on the squad. The many years in which the star of the show annually departed without suitable replacements found ravaged the squad and led to a nine-year trophyless run.

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More recently, the benefits of being able to hold onto the more established members of the squad has paid dividends. This season, Arsene Wenger has enjoyed the rotation that he has been able to implement as a result of the greater number of players that he has at his disposal.

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However, sometimes, selling a player is a necessary move to make. It can be undertaken to preserve the harmony of the dressing room, to raise funds for other needs in the team, or simply to bring about a fresh change at the club that could be seen as stagnating. When that scenario rolls around, it is then important that the club is able to maximise the value that they receive in selling the player.

And that could well be where Arsenal find themselves with Hector Bellerin. The Spanish full-back has been incessantly linked with a move back to his former club Barcelona for some time, and even having signed a long-term contract earlier this season, is still associated with a possible move to Camp Nou.

Now reports are claiming that Barcelona are wanting to sign Bellerin on the cheap, especially if the Gunners fail to qualify for the Champions League, needing a win against Everton and an unlikely Liverpool loss to Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. That is something that Wenger cannot allow to happen.

It may be the case that he must concede the selling of Bellerin. Sometimes, it is the best avenue for the club. However, in doing so, it is vital that he squeezes every ounce of value out of a prosperous, promising, 22-year-old full-back who boasts an extremely bright future ahead of him.

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There are still many areas of the squad that need addressing this summer, with significant investment required at a number of different positions. Selling Bellerin for maximum value, while not an ideal choice, would provide a boost to Wenger’s kitty ahead of a pivotal transfer window.