Arsenal eye defender for forward player plus cash deal

This summer could spell the end of the road at Arsenal for a lot of the players, with boss Mikel Arteta having to reduce the size of his squad before hiring more reinforcements. 

Nuno Tavares has already arrived in North London, and Brighton’s Ben White is expected to make the move to the capital in the coming days.

That would leave Arteta with a goalkeeper, midfielder and striker left on his initial shopping list that he set out at the start of the window.

In recent days, Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez has emerged as a possible target for the Gunners, having impressed in Serie A last season.

Inter, then managed by Antonio Conte, won the Serie A title for the first time in a decade, while Martinez also won the Copa America with his native Argentina this summer.

Bellerin has spent a decade with Arsenal after joining from Barcelona.

However, it appears that Arsenal will not be able to afford the Italian side’s price demands for the forward, and will instead be forced to offer one of their current players as part of a swap deal.

According to Football Insider, the North London side will offer long-term servant Hector Bellerin to Inter in a player-plus-cash offer.

The report suggests that Arsenal are aware of the fact that they will not be able to meet Inter’s valuation of Martinez, who scored 19 goals and registered 11 assist across all competitions last term, and will therefore opt to include a player in any offer they make.

The 23-year-old, who partners former Chelsea and Manchester United goalscorer Romelu Lukaku, is seen by Arsenal as a potential signing as Inter are reportedly struggling financially and may be forced to sell their stars.

The Italian side have already let go of Achraf Hakimi for a fee of around £60 million, and Bellerin is therefore said to be being offered as a replacement for the full-back.

It is believed that Arsenal value Bellerin, who has played over 230 times for the club, at around £30 million, partly due to the fact that he is entering into the final two years of his current deal.

The Spaniard has also thought to have told his current employers that he wishes to leave in search of a new challenge.