Could this be the year Bellerin leaves Arsenal?

The Spanish defender came back after an injury and managed to once again become a key part of Arsenal's squad, making 28 appearances in all competitions so far and is the clear first-choice right-back option for the north Londoners this season.

Bellerin has always enjoyed a healthy relationship with his countryman Arteta having played with the now-Arsenal boss when he was a Gunners star in north London. However, Hector Bellerin could be leaving Arsenal in the next transfer window as part of an agreement with Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, according to reports.

As per ESPN, Bellerin wanted to leave the Gunners at the end of last season but a close conversation with Arteta convinced the right-back to stay for another season. Supposedly, the defender requested an Arsenal departure amid interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain with the Gunners manager persuading him to delay an exit for 12 months.

Bellerin still has another two years left on his contract and Arsenal have reportedly identified this summer as the best possible time to cash in on the 25-year-old.

The chances are both Barcelona and PSG may not be interested in Bellerin anymore, as the European heavyweights "took care" of their right-back positions over the summer. Catalan team splashed out 32 million USD (3.5 billion KSH) on American right-back Sergino Dest from Ajax while PSG took Alessandro Florenzi on loan from Roma and are expected to make that deal permanent for 11 million USD (1.2 billion KSH) this summer.

Arsenal's angry rivals from the end of the 90s and the 2000s - Manchester United - also reportedly made an approach for Bellerin in the summer of 2019 but chose to direct their attention to Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace instead for 70 million USD (7.6 billion KSH).

Bellerin is an Arsenal youth academy product and made his first-team debut in 2014 under the great Arsene Wenger. The 25-year-old has since made 232 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, scoring nine goals and winning three FA Cup medals.

The right-back's progression was heavily slowed down by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January 2019 which kept him sidelined for nearly a year. Arsenal currently have Portuguese international Cedric Soares battling Bellerin for the right-back squad, while his other competitor at that position - Ainsley Maitland-Niles - was sent out on loan to West Bromwich Albion for the duration of the current season.