Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and manager Arsene Wenger teamed up to warn Barcelona off pursuing right-back Hector Bellerin, according to a report in The Telegraph.
The newspaper revealed on their website that the Gunners chiefs were directly responsible for the withdrawn interest of their 22-year-old from the La Liga outfit.
The Telegraph reports that to avoid a repeat of former star Cesc Fabregas’ move to Nou Camp the Arsenal manager contacted Barcelona directly to make it clear that there was no possibility of him being sold this summer.
It is said that chief executive Gazidis followed up Wenger’s chat with the defender by sending a stern letter directly to the La Liga giants.
These reports come after the story in Sport which stated that Barcelona had decided not to progress with their pursuit of the Arsenal starlet.
The former report stated that the Nou Camp club withdrew their interest after new manager Ernesto Valverde held a meeting with his superiors at the club and they decided Bellerin wasn’t worth the reported £35 million price tag.
However, now it has emerged that the reason behind their decision was due to Wenger and Gazidis’ persistence.
Bellerin initially joined the Arsenal youth squad from the Barcelona academy in 2011 and has since climbed the ranks before joining the first team in 2014.
Last season the Spaniard showed his versatility by playing in the right-midfield position as well as at full-back, where he managed to bag a goal at home against Everton in their 3-1 win at the end of the Premier League season.
Bellerin made a total of 42 appearances for the club across all competitions last season, and Wenger will need his efforts ahead of Arsenal’s battle to regain their Champions League spot with a top four finish in the Premier League.
The young defender still has six years left at the club as his contract expires in 2023.