Hector Bellerin has moved a step closer to a Barcelona return following the election of Joan Laporta to become the club’s new president.
Laporta won Sunday's election with 57.6 per cent of the vote ahead of Victor Font (31.8 per cent) and Tony Freixa (9.1 per cent).
It marks a long-anticipated return to the club for Laporta who was Barcelona president from 2003-2010, presiding over the start of the iconic Pep Guardiola era.
His return to the club gives Barca the best chance possible of retaining Lionel Messi, who cast his vote on Sunday, beyond this summer with the Argentine out of contract.
Laporta’s other immediate priority is addressing Barca’s escalating £420million debt and the need to renovate Camp Nou.
However, his pledges should he win the presidency also centred around possible incomings into Catalonia with Arsenal right-back Bellerin reportedly among them.
Bellerin came close to leaving Emirates Stadium last summer for Paris Saint-Germain but elected to stay in north London, however his future beyond 2020/21 is uncertainly.
Reports last month detailed that the Spain international is open to offers, on the assumption that Arsenal will miss out on Champions League football, and Barca is a logical destination for the 25-year-old.
Bellerin left Barca when he was 16, tempted to Arsenal by Arsene Wenger, but his ties with his boyhood club remain strong and he has previously undergone rehab in the city on a knee injury.
According to a report in the Mirror, Laporta has already held talks with Bellerin’s representatives over a summer transfer.
The full-back is under contract until 2023 so would command a sizeable fee, with the Gunners reportedly already identifying possible replacements.
The Sun have claimed they now lead the chase for Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey who would be an immediate successor to Bellerin should he complete a return to Barca.
