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Football London
Football London
Sport
Bobby Vincent

Arsenal suffer transfer blow as Hector Bellerin replacement makes decision on his future

Arsenal are on the lookout for a new right-back with Hector Bellerin looking set to leave the club this summer.

football.london understands that the defender's agent is in London for talks with Gunners director Edu over an exit for his client, who has been with the north London club for over a decade now.

Inter Milan are currently the frontrunners in the race for Bellerin - with Arsenal insistent on a transfer fee for the Spanish full-back, but a loan deal is looking the more likely outcome as things stand.

The 26-year-old sees his contract with the Gunners expire in around two years' time, but it looks as if he will not serve the remaining time of his deal.

Without Bellerin at his disposal, Mikel Arteta has Cedric Soares and Calum Chambers as options at right-back, but could look to bring a new face in before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

One man that has been linked with a move to north London is Barcelona defender Sergino Dest.

The 20-year-old USA international only moved to Barca in October of last year from Ajax for around £18.9million and has four years remaining on his contract with the La Liga outfit.

However, Dest has reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund - but has now made a crucial decision over his future.

According to a report from ESPN, the American defender has turned down approaches from all three of the aforementioned clubs because he wants to stay at Barcelona.

AS Monaco also 'sounded out a move' for Dest, but the quartet of clubs were 'knocked back by both the player and Barca'.

No official offers were made to Dest or Barca because of the rejected enquiries, the report claims, with the clubs trying to take advantage of Barcelona's financial situation.

Now, Arteta and Edu could be forced to look elsewhere if Bellerin does indeed leave the Emirates Stadium over the next few weeks.

Arsenal have been linked with both Norwich City defender Max Aarons and Everton's Jonjoe Kenny over the last couple of months - and if Bellerin departs, then these two may be even more prominent in transfer rumours.

Do you want an exclusive pre-season Arsenal preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy!

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