Hector Bellerin admits he is flattered by the speculation linking him with a summer move to Barcelona.
The Arsenal right-back graduated from the Catalan giants’ famed La Masia academy before moving to Arsenal as a teenager six years ago in search of first team football.
Since his breakthrough year in 2015, the 22-year-old has cemented his position as Arsenal first choice right-back and appeared to commit his future to the club by recently signing a new long-term contract extension.
Barcelona, however, continue to monitor his situation amid the growing levels of uncertainty at Arsenal and the Spain international has added fuel to the fire by suggestion Barcelona still hold a special place in his heart.
‘It’s nice there are a lot of big clubs that are interested in me, but if one of those is Barcelona that’s special,’ he told
Sport.
‘I don’t forget I grew up in that home and I will never forget my stay at Barcelona.’
Reports last week suggested Barcelona were readying a £35 million summer bid for Bellerin but Arsene Wenger completely dismissed that suggestion his player was contemplating the move as ‘fake news’.
‘No,’ said Wenger, when asked if Barcelona had been in contract.
‘We have just extended his contract and he has an unbelievable amount of years to go.’
Barcelona, meanwhile, confirmed they were likely to be in the market for a new right-back this summer but stopped short of confirming their former player was a confirmed target.
‘It is a position that we are evaluating,’ said the club’s sporting director Robert Fernandez.
‘There are many options and we will decide what we think is the best. If the market helps us, we will always try to improve, why not?
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