Arsenal push for Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles exits as Mikel Arteta clear-out continues

Arsenal are looking to resolve the futures of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Hector Bellerin in the final two weeks of the transfer window.

The pair are both in the final 12 months of their current contracts and Arsenal are looking to secure them permanent moves away from Emirates Stadium.

Real Betis is currently Bellerin’s most likely destination, with the right-back enjoying a successful loan spell there last season.

Arsenal want a fee for Bellerin but Betis are hoping they can land him for free, leading to a major sticking point in negotiations between the clubs.

Arsenal are hoping to offload both Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles this month
Arsenal FC via Getty Images

So far there is nothing concrete on Maitland-Niles, however it is thought and hoped that a deal for him could accelerate in the final days of the window.

The 24-year-old had been on Nottingham Forest’s radar as they looked for a right wing-back, but they eventually swooped for Neco Williams from Liverpool instead.

Arsenal have managed to find a loan move for goalkeeper Alex Runarsson and his switch to Turkish side Alanyaspor was confirmed last night.

Runarsson, who joined Arsenal in 2020 from Dijon for around £1million, has slipped down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.

The goalkeeper spent last season on loan at OH Leuven in Belgium and was told he could leave Arsenal again this summer. The strongest interest in Runarsson had always been from Turkey, with Antalyaspor also keen on signing him.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in