Hector Bellerin set to be rewarded with new Arsenal deal to see off Manchester City and Barcelona

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Arsenal are set to reward Hector Bellerin with a new contract to ward off interest from Manchester City and Barcelona.

As revealed by Sportsmail last month, City manager Pep Guardiola and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique are desperate to sign the full back and are not prepared to take no for an answer from the north London club.

But Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is taking preventative measures to keep his the 21-year-old. Bellerin was only handed a long-term contract last year and is tied to the club for another three years, but Wenger has been so impressed that he is willing to extend it further.

Hector Bellerin is set to be rewarded with a new contract at Arsenal 

Bellerin is believed to be on £50,000 per week currently, with a rise putting him on around £65,000 to 70,000.

‘Look, he has nearly three years to go and we always try get the players to the level where we think they deserve to be, so we try to extend, certainly, his contract,’ Wenger said. ‘We will try to extend his contract as well, but for me, his long-term future is here.

‘He has been absolutely fantastic. Let’s not forget that his first game he had a nightmare when I played him and he was the year before at Watford — he didn’t play. 

'His progress has been absolutely spectacular because he has absolutely top mental strength, I think he loves as well to be here and he has responsibilities already in the dressing room for such a young age, it’s something remarkable.’ 

Despite only being 21-years-old Bellerin has impressed for Arsenal since breaking through

Barcelona and Manchester City are both believed to be interested in signing Bellerin

Bellerin, who has won three caps for Spain, spent most of his youth career developing at Barcelona. He was part of their famous La Masia training camp for eight years before leaving to join Arsenal in 2011. But Wenger has no fear that the player will be tempted back to the city where he was born.

‘No, I think now that you do not necessarily have to play where you were born,’ Wenger said. ‘Modern life is not exactly like that and what is important is that the players meets his needs where he is and his values, and I think he integrated very well the values of our club and he came at a very, very young age of 15 and a half, 16 years of age. I think he is a real Arsenal player.’