Arsenal are reportedly refusing to budge over their transfer stance on Hector Bellerin, who is wanted on a permanent deal by Real Betis.
The Spain international has struggled to regain his old form following a spate of injuries and failed to impress Mikel Arteta during the 2020-21 season.
Bellerin was pushed down the pecking order by the arrivals of Cedric Soares and Takehiro Tomiyasu, but he enjoyed a fine loan spell with Real Betis in the 2021-22 campaign.
Under Manuel Pellegrini, Bellerin won the Copa del Rey and made 32 appearances in all competitions for Los Verdiblancos, setting up five goals in that time.
Betis have been unable to reach an agreement over a permanent move for the 27-year-old, though, and he has since been re-integrated into Arteta's pre-season squad.
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With only one year left to run on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal are trying to offload Bellerin for a fee this summer before losing him for nothing in 2023.
Betis are still holding out hope of a permanent deal for the right-back, but according to AS - via Sport Witness - the two clubs are no closer to reaching an agreement over a transfer.
The La Liga outfit are said to be in a difficult financial situation and are therefore pressing Arsenal to lower their demands, but the Gunners are refusing to do so.
As a result, Arsenal have supposedly 'torpedoed' Bellerin's return to Betis, and the Verdiblancos would likely have to make a couple of sales in order to scrape the money together to sign the Spaniard.
Bellerin is understood to be willing to forgo the final year of his Arsenal wages and take a pay cut at Betis to seal a move, but the Gunners are not prepared to sanction another high-profile contract termination.
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Arsenal have allegedly already dropped their asking price for Bellerin from £17.1m to £7m, with the former Barcelona youngster widely expected to leave after 11 years in North London.
Bellerin has provided nine goals and 29 assists in 239 games for Arsenal since graduating from their youth academy, winning three FA Cups and three Community Shields in the process.
With Ben White also capable of filling in at right-back and Brooke Norton-Cuffy hoping to make an impact, Bellerin seemingly does not have a route back into the first team in the English capital.
On the opposite side of the Gunners defence, left-back Nuno Tavares could also be allowed to depart after Arsenal secured the signature of Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City in a £32m deal.
Atalanta BC are understood to be in talks over a loan move for the Portugal Under-21 international, who has also been linked with a move to Brighton & Hove Albion as a replacement for Manchester City target Marc Cucurella.
Ben Knapton
