Why Arsenal's Hector Bellerin Is the Man to Replace Dani Alves at Barcelona

All good things must come to an end, and whilst their attacking power means that good things are likely to continue to come to Barcelona more often than not, they are going to have to lose a few cast members along the way.

And that is why it should be no surprise that both Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves are reportedly considering leaving the club, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Nicholas Gooden at the Daily Mail).

PAU BARRENA/Getty Images

The news on Mascherano, 31, might be a little more out of the blue than the stories on the 33-year-old Alves, who has one year remaining on his Barca deal, but both men are probably seeing the chance to test themselves elsewhere, with a different environment often sharpening both the senses and the skills.

It would be no surprise if Mascherano ended up staying, but for Alves, a couple of years in Serie A would be a fine way to end an illustrious career, and it seems that Barcelona have already got in mind who they want to sign to replace him. They are simply going to go down a road that they have often traversed before.

Just like they did with Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal, and before that Gerard Pique at Manchester United, it would appear that the preferred option would be to bring back "one of their own" from a spell in England.

And it’s Arsenal at the centre of things again this time, with the 21-year-old right-back Hector Bellerin lined up for a move back to Barca five years after he left the club’s youth academy to move to north London, per a report from Jack de Menezes in the Independent.

IAN KINGTON/Getty Images

After progressing through the ranks at the Gunners, Bellerin has been one of the first names on Arsene Wenger’s teamsheet for the last year-and-a-half, developing into one of the best right-backs in the Premier League and playing in 36 of Arsenal’s 38 league games in 2015/16.

Combining remarkable speed with a coolness on the ball that has been the hallmark of Wenger’s teams, Barca chiefs would have enjoyed watching Bellerin develop as a player over the last 18 months, and there is little doubt that he would be ready for first-team action in Catalonia straight away should he sign.

If he did, he’d be battling with last summer’s signing Aleix Vidal for a slot in the first team, but the former Sevilla man endured a less-than-impressive start to his Camp Nou career once he was finally registered after Barca’s transfer ban was lifted, and he couldn’t expect to be an automatic first-choice pick should Alves depart.

Bellerin—who would see the switch to Barcelona as a great chance to break into the Spain team—would be an upgrade on Vidal, and with youth also on his side, his signing could be considered one for the future as well as the present.

Of course, Arsenal have a say in all this, too.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

They would be loath to lose such an excellent young player at the exact point that he was making the transition from boy into man, but as they know from bitter experience in the past, when clubs the calibre of Barca come calling, it often proves difficult for players to say no, especially players whose formative football education came in Catalonia.

Both Pique and Fabregas had to make the move back "home" when the time came, and Bellerin could end up being just the same.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

We shouldn’t just presume that Bellerin wants to go the same way as those two players, of course, but there is a certain way that these sort of transfers work in Barcelona, and it would appear the wheels have started to gain motion with the potential departure of Alves.

If Barca make their move, then it would be a surprise if they didn’t get what they wanted.

They are a club that usually does that, as Bellerin could be about to find out.