Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has reportedly ‘personally negotiated’ with Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin in order to lure him to the Bernabéu, according to The Guardian.

What’s the story?

 There’s been all kinds of rumblings going on behind closed doors at Madrid, not least from Marco Asensio who is pushing for his sale to a Premier League club who actually will want to use him.

Most shocking perhaps has been Ronaldo’s attempt to control the puppet strings in the Madrid boardroom, with reports from Don Balon claiming that Ronaldo has given Pérez a list of players’ names who are not welcome at the club.

What we can infer from all this then is that Bellerin is not on that list and is a high-ranking priority on Pérez’s agenda to turn the club around from a disappointing 2017 season.

What should Madrid do?

Madrid have conceded 26 goals this season in the league, more than twice as many as table-topping Barcelona. Marcelo has been exposed at the centre of the defence and has not been helped by his midfield protection by the likes of Luka Modric and Casemiro.

Hector Bellerin might not be the answer to their defensive frailties. He is a forward thinking player with a high pass success rate of 85%, according to WhoScored, but anyone who has watched Arsenal this year will know that their problems lie in defensive solidity. In fact, the Gunners have the leakiest defence in the Premier League’s top seven sides.

Bellerin is a good player, but him and Madrid are not a match made in heaven.