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‘Wants to leave’: Arsenal player’s going to have to take £3m pay cut to quit the Emirates now – journalist

Sam Preston

Fri 24 June 2022 18:15, UK

Journalist Charles Watts has lifted the lid on the scale of the wage cut Hector Bellerin is facing in his attempts to leave Arsenal this summer.

Watts spoke about the prospect of Bellerin departing the Emirates Stadium this summer on a podcast, which can be listened to .

Bellerin took a pay cut to leave the club on loan and join Real Betis last season, and he now has just one year left on his Gunners deal.

Watts says it is up to the Spaniard to work out a way to make that reduced salary work longer term, suggesting Bellerin could be set to take a 75 per cent hit.

Bellerin facing wage cut to leave Arsenal

Watts said: “I don’t think Bellerin is going to be the most difficult but it all comes down to him, really.

“It’s going to be about him accepting a wage that is far, far lower. He did it last season for a year. Basically, he was on about £4 million at Arsenal and it went down to about £1 million at Betis.

“You’re talking that much of a wage cut. People will look at that and say you’re still earning a million but if you’ve got the financial commitments you might expect if you earn £4 million then it’s very difficult to accept a quarter of what you were getting before.

“He’s going to have to work that out but Arsenal won’t block any move. He absolutely wants to leave.” 

As well as Betis, it has been reported that Atletico Madrid are interested in Bellerin, and they can offer him Champions League football next term.

Atletico should be more capable of offering Bellerin the kind of wage he is on at Arsenal, as they look for a right-back to replace Kieran Trippier.

It is all down to the defender to get his exit sorted and make the conditions he demands reasonable to grease the wheels of a departure.