Arsenal technical director Edu has admitted he's happy to cancel contracts as Hector Bellerin's transfer saga rumbles on.
The Gunners are struggling to sell Bellerin, 27, this summer. The Spain international has just one year left on his existing deal and spent last season on loan at La Liga side Real Betis, making 32 appearances in all competitions and winning the Copa del Rey.
Betis are interested in re-signing Bellerin but are struggling to afford the transfer. Barcelona are also believed to be keen on bringing him to the Camp Nou. Bellerin was in Barcelona's famous La Masia academy for eight years before joining Arsenal's youth team in 2011.
It would cost Arsenal a pretty penny if they were to cancel Bellerin's contract now. According to Spotrac, the right-back earns £110,000-a-week at the Emirates. It's unlikely his next employers will match that salary and he might not want to be short-changed.
Yet it appears Edu isn't afraid to pay Bellerin up. During his time in charge of Arsenal's transfer business, Edu has cancelled Mesut Ozil's and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's contracts... and both players were earning more than £300,000-a-week at the Emirates.
Speaking to The Athletic, Edu said: "If you imagine, 'Oh, no problem: this season we’re going to expose the player a little bit more and then we sell them' - no, be realistic.
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"You don’t want to sell the player. Try to avoid one more year with the problem inside, in the dressing room, expensive, not performing. Clean, take it out. Even, I’m sorry, if you have to pay. To leave is better. Because that guy is sometimes also blocking someone."
Edu added: "I know it hurts, I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say, 'Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave, than maintain them' But I consider it an investment. Sometimes people say, 'It’s expensive'. I say, 'No, it’s investment'. But someone will pay if you sell? No, guys - if the player is above 26, 27 and not performing, big salary, no chance."
Bellerin's most likely destination is Seville. "Hector Bellerin really wants to come back," Betis striker Borja Iglesias told Estadio Deportivo. "He has always said that he wants to play here, what happens is that he has been there for a long time at Arsenal.
"It is a complicated situation because he has a contract. I have always said it. I hope he is here as soon as possible because He gives us a lot inside and outside the locker room. He has given it a very cool spin."
Iglesias added: "I have some other very close friends... with Kevin Vazquez, from Celta , we are close. With Aitor Ruibal here we have formed a very cool group, but Hector Bellerin is not just with me... it is what he transmits to the group, the good vibes he generates.
"He's a competitive guy, who always works whether he plays or not, who keeps everyone wanting to learn, he teaches a lot. We all miss him."
