Arsenal could lose Bellerin and Giroud

Héctor Bellerín and Olivier Giroud have both indicated that they could be open to moves from Arsenal despite manager Arsène Wenger’s attempt to complete a series of early summer signings.

The transfer of left-back Sead Kolasinac from Schalke was formally confirmed yesterday and Wenger has still not given up on signing Monaco striker Kylian Mbappé but there are also likely to be prominent departures this summer.

Bellerín is a target of former club Barcelona and, while Arsenal are adamant that there is no prospect of him leaving this summer with a contract that expires in 2023, the 22-year-old appears less convinced about his immediate future.

In an interview yesterday with the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Bellerín said that it was a “great thing to know about the interest of a club like Barça” and that “you never know what can happen”. He also talked about wanting to play in the Champions League and how his family had returned to the Spanish city.

When Bellerín signed his latest contract at Arsenal last November, he spoke about being “happy to be a Gunner for many more years”. Although Wenger has been publicly dismissive of Barcelona’s chances of signing Bellerín, there is an obvious potential parallel with how Cesc Fabregas became progressively more determined to return to Spain. He also made similarly ambiguous public pronouncements until his move eventually became difficult to resist.

Giroud has also indicated that he is not completely happy at Arsenal following a season in which he started only 11 Premier League games but still scored 12 goals amid 18 substitute appearances.

Giroud is with the France squad and has been of interest to Marseille. “Wenger is counting on me even though he hasn’t used me much,” he said yesterday. “I won’t settle for such limited playing time.”