Arsenal have been told why they should complete £35m transfer for Hector Bellerin replacement
Arsenal may have to start preparing for life without Hector Bellerin, with the right-back expected to leave the club this summer.
The Spanish defender is yet to agree personal terms with any club, but Inter Milan are now considered favourites to land the 26-year-old, football.londonunderstands.
Bellerin has been with the Gunners for over a decade and is keen to embark on a new challenge, but it does mean that Mikel Arteta will be forced into the transfer market for a new right-sided full-back.
Calum Chambers can play on the right, as can Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but there is no outstanding option for Arteta as he looks to overhaul his squad ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Now, according to the Mirror, via the Mail Online, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are all battling out to sign Norwich City right-back Max Aarons.
Aarons has long been linked with a move away from Carrow Road, with the 21-year-old continuing to impress after his three years in the Canaries first-team.
The Norwich defender has just under three years remaining on his deal with the newly-promoted Premier League side, meaning they are under no pressure to sell unless a transfer request comes in.
Bayern Munich expressed their interest in Aarons back in February, according to Sky Sports, with Norwich slapping a £35million price tag on his head to try and fend off the interest.
So, for Arsenal, they know that is the sort of the fee they will have to splash out should they wish to sign the highly-rated Aarons.
Norwich boss Daniel Farke's glowing verdict of his right-back towards the end of last year has explained why the Gunners should make a move for the possible Bellerin replacement.
“Max is outstanding in many topics. I can’t praise him enough for what he has done since his first appearance,” Farke said on Aarons, who made his Norwich debut in 2018.
“When you have the clubs interested in him who were interested it is easy to lose the ground under the feet.
"Maybe you think you know everything about football. He is always looking to work harder.
"Never ill, never injured. If the best clubs in the world are interested then maybe there is not that much more space to improve.
"But he knows he can work a bit more on his assists and end product, like in the last game. I think he can be more of an offensive threat for us.
"You watch some of our games now and the opponents go man-for-man on him.
"That is crazy for a player who is a full-back but it says a lot about his reputation.”
The Canaries boss added: “In my eyes he is not the young Max Aarons, he is just a special player and he has an unbelievable future.
“I know he has been labelled as one of the best young players in this league.
"Well I told him we can reject this label now because he is no longer one of the best young players, he is one of the best players."