Oddly enough, the day after reports emerged that chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, had issued Barcelona with a sternly worded ‘hands off’ letter regarding their pursuit of Hector Bellerin, the Catalan giants have more or less signed Benfica’s Nelson Semedo.
- Barcelona say Bellerin “doesn’t meet the criteria”
- Barcelona bid for Benfica right back with Bellerin a non-starter
- La Liga club opt for second choice right-back after Bellerin deal dies
Semedo has reportedly completed his medical with Barcelona just days after Arsenal allegedly told the La Liga club in no uncertain terms that Bellerin won’t be moving this summer.
While the Benfica right-back has been on their radar, it’s no secret that Barca had their eyes firmly fixed on Bellerin and could have potentially paid Arsenal £50m to get him.
Instead, they’ve paid £30m for their second choice right-back, who’s expected to fill the shoes of Dani Alves, who left for Juventus last year.
Bellerin, meanwhile, is on his summer break after his involvement in the European u21 Championships. Spain’s u21s reached the final but were beaten 1-0 by Germany.
Bellerin played four out of five 90-minute matches.