Arsenal: Inter willing to meet Hector Bellerin transfer valuation

What will happen to Hector Bellerin this summer is among the more certain eventualities of the entire window. Arsenal and the Spaniard are both working towards him embarking on the next stage of his career and Inter are now frontrunners to be that next chapter.

A matter of when not if, the case is the same as it has been since the even before the Premier League season concluded that whoever is willing to pay the money desired will land the right-back. Multiple sales are expected at Arsenal but as of yet there is not one permanent one signed off.

With Achraf Hakimi imminently arriving at Paris Saint-Germain for a huge fee, Inter, who lost manager Antonio Conte due to the club’s owners willingness to ship off their best talents to balance the books, need a replacement.

Talks had already begun over Bellerin who has been attracting interest from across Serie A and La Liga, and at present no club have as firm interest in the Spaniard than the Italian champions.

Inter willing to meet Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin transfer valuation with concerns over initial loan transfer the sticking point this summer window

Sport and Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) both claim that he is the top of their list to replace the Moroccan, which is the kind of firm interest Arsenal desperately need for someone like Bellerin. The question is just how much money.

Arsenal’s valuation has been set at €20m (£17.2m), a fee that Inter feel is a fair amount and that they’re willing to pay for his services. A 25-year-old with rich Premier League experience and two years left on his contract nonetheless feels low. Because it is.

Just last summer the figures quoted for Bellerin were £35m (€40m), a full 50% reduction 12 months on. Unfortunately with the way European finances are this summer, the fee in question is a fair amount.

Being realistic, Arsenal will not get any more. It perhaps isn’t a ‘fair’ amount, but it’s a reasonable amount all things considered.

Where the issue lies is with the structuring of the deal. As will be the case for multiple transfers across this summer, loan moves, either with options or obligations to buy, will be flirted about as clubs aim to build up finances over a year and then act in the coming summer with healthier bank balances.

Of course, Arsenal’s preference is for a permanent deal. Real Betis have held talks but it is a similar situation, which makes the Gunners’ stance weaker than hoped for. With the amount of work needed, nothing less than an obligation to buy will suffice. A loan with an option does nothing for Arsenal.

The way it is looking means Arsenal may have to settle with an initial loan move, which is something that will hamper their activity this summer as similar deals will be floated about for the likes of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, if they haven’t already. It’s a worrying aspect of this window that runs home the difficulties Arsenal are facing, so if a loan with obligation arrives, their hands are pretty tied. At least the interest is firm.