Arsenal are “ready to offer” Hector Bellerin in their attempts to land Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The reporter, who is generally more reliable when it comes to lower-division transfers, says the Gunners could make a part-exchange bid for Martinez:
Arsenal are ready to offer Hector Bellerin to Inter Milan in part-exchange in any potential deal for Lautaro Martinez. #AFC #Arsenal #FCIM
— Pete O’Rourke (@SportsPeteO) July 28, 2021
Bellerin is definitely a player who would interest Inter, with the Nerazzurri keen on signing the Spaniard as a replacement for Achraf Hakimi, but it would still barely put a dent in the cost of the transfer.
Martinez has a €111m (£94.5m) release clause, and while Inter may be prepared to sell for below that number, it would still mean Arsenal would need to find an extra £50m to £60m to get the deal done.
Most reports suggest that Bellerin is not worth more than £20m so raising the funds of Martinez, on top of trying to persuade the Argentine into moving to the Emirates, make this a very unlikely move, to say the least.
