FC Barcelona transfer rumour update – Hector Bellerin and Riyad Mahrez

Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez is back on Robert’s shortlist as he submits a transfer request to Leicester City

After helping the Foxes to a historic Premier League title victory, several clubs were looking at Riyad Mahrez. But the next season was a major disappointment. He ended with 10 goals and 5 assists, a tally significantly lower than that of the previous season. But it seems that his poor display last season has not lowered interest in his services.

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According to Sport, Mahrez has contacted Barcelona through his agents. Barca have told him to be patient and wait for the more important deals to go through. The priority is a right-back, and a midfielder, but Mahrez’s deal could follow.

While he has offers from Premier League clubs Arsenal and Chelsea, Mahrez is very keen to play for Barcelona and is willing to wait. At Barcelona, his style of play is appreciated and he is seen as a good option to provide back-up to Messi. But a deal will reportedly depend upon other factors like the other business Barca will do in the market.

The fee is €40 million, but Robert can negotiate as the player himself is willing to leave. It remains to be seen if Ernesto Valverde picks Mahrez over younger options Ousmane Dembele and Gerard Deulofeu.

Barcelona get Bellerin boost as he shows interest in returning

Barcelona have got a boost in their effort to sign Hector Bellerin as Bellerin has expressed interest in returning to his boyhood club.

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"In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he said, “It is a very nice thing to know about the interest of a club like Barça, the club where I grew up since I was a kid. I do not know anything at the moment, I’m an Arsenal player and we’ll see what happens.When asked about his own interest in returning to Barcelona, Bellerin said, “It’s something you do not think about when you leave, because you do not know how things are going to go.I was lucky enough to bet on Arsenal. Things have gone well and now receiving this kind of news from Barça is something that makes me happy, but that does not just depend on me.”But he confirmed the fact that there has been no official contact. He said, “No, I have not talked to anyone. I have not talked to the club, I know there are many things that are being talked about, but as a player the club has not told me anything, there has still been no contact."

While this is a good thing for Barcelona, Robert Fernandez needs to figure out how he would approach negotiations. According to Sport, Robert will take the route his predecessor Andoni Zubizarreta took while negotiating for Cesc Fabregas.

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Initially, Barca will submit a low offer that is far from Arsenal’s valuation of Bellerin. After receiving several counter-offers, Robert will slowly increase the offer until Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal’s executive director has no other choice than to sell Bellerin. Raül Sanllehí will travel to London to commence talks with Ivan Gazidis.