Arsenal's Hector Bellerin is ready to turn his loan spell at Real Betis into a permanent switch this summer.
The right-back penned a season-long loan deal at the Spanish club last year, bringing an end to his decade-long stint in north London. Bellerin joined the Gunners as a youth graduate from Barcelona and had gone on to captain the first team.
An energic full-back who offered both an attacking threat and defensive cover, Bellerin made 239 first-team appearances for Arsenal before deciding that it was time for a new challenge. He is subsequently enjoying a new lease of life at the Seville-based club, who he helped to lift the Copa del Rey on Saturday with a final victory over Valencia.
Bellerin provided the assist for the opening goal of the game, making the overlapping run and crossing for striker Borja Iglesias to open the scoring for Manuel Pellegrini's side. The match ended 1-1 but Betis won the penalty shootout to secure their first trophy in 17 years and spark mass celebrations across the city of Seville, where the showpiece event was held.
Mirror Football understands that Bellerin wants his loan switch from Arsenal to be made permanent to prolong his spell in the capital of Andalusia. The right-back was a boyhood fan of Barcelona having grown up in the Catalan capital, but his father was a dedicated fan of Betis.
Last summer, Bellerin accepted a significant pay cut to join Los Verdiblancos on a loan deal, despite having several more financially lucrative offers on the table. Upon arriving at Betis, the defender said: "Football is not just money, sentiment is very important."
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Upon signing for Betis, Bellerin told assembled reporters: "Being able to make my father happy with a dream that is his and fulfilling it for him, makes me very excited. It is a feeling my father has instilled since I was little. As a child, I was a bit of a turncoat, but he forced me to wear the Betis shirt."
Bellerin has not regretted his decision to join Betis, for whom he has made 31 first-team appearances – 28 of which, including Saturday's Copa del Rey final, were from the start – as he is the preferred starting right-back ahead of Youssouf Sabaly and Martin Montoya.
After Saturday's final, Bellerin's father posed with his son on the pitch as they clutched the Copa del Rey trophy. The defender posted the photo on his social media accounts alongside the caption: "Thank you dad for being a Betis fan."
That was a sentence that Bellerin repeated the following day from the balcony of Seville's city hall, as the Betis squad paraded the trophy in front of their huge fanbase who had assembled on the city's central streets in a celebration parade. Groups of fans chanted his name and asked for him to stay at the club.
The Copa del Rey success was a huge moment in the history of Betis; it was just the fourth trophy in the history of the club, who have a reputation for a lack of success. The club's supporters have also had to endure the success of fierce city rivals Sevilla, whose multitude of titles in the past 16 years include a remarkable six Europa League titles.
It is understood that Bellerin's preference is to remain at the club next season and is keen for Arsenal and Betis to find a solution. Despite sitting fifth in La Liga, enjoying a sustained Europa League run this season and winning the Copa del Rey, Betis are not in a strong financial situation – but Bellerin is thought to be prepared to accept a wage cut to make the switch permanent.
Bellerin, who wore a classic Betis shirt of their former striker Wojciech Kowalczyk during Sunday's celebration parade in the city, added: "I am eternally grateful to all the Betis fans for your encouragement, your passion and for making us enjoy this triumph even more thanks to your support. For those of you who are here and for those who were here, long live Betis!"
