Hector Bellerin’s romance with Real Betis was one of the stories of the season last year. Moving back to Spain for the first time since leaving Barcelona to play for his grandfather’s team, he fell in love with Seville.
It didn’t hurt that he was able to lift the Copa del Rey, to cement that bond. Yet it seems Bellerin has his heart set on a return to Spain this summer, even as he does preseason with Arsenal, as per Estadio Deportivo. Betis need to make sales before they can begin their recruitment drive and Bellerin is said to be waiting patiently for that process to take its course.
They also go on to say that second team in La Liga has opened talks for him. Villarreal are currently on the look out for a right-back after the departures of Ruben Pena and Serge Aurier. The only option that Unai Emery trusts in the position is Juan Foyth and the Basque manager knows him well from his time at Arsenal.
The Seville daily did go on to say that the talks had not gone beyond the initial stages, but nevertheless there is an interest.
While there is no doubt there is the odd weakness in Bellerin’s game, his production for Betis far outweighed any the drawbacks. If Villarreal were to secure his signature, it could greatly aid Emery’s team when faced with deep blocks by providing a width and timing of run they do not possess on the right side currently. Facing a lower defence was one of the problems which Villarreal struggled to deal with last season.