Atletico Madrid are interested in Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin and are prepared to try to tempt head coach Unai Emery by offering to send Vitolo in the opposite direction.

Despite the fact he is still recovering from a knee injury, Bellerin has emerged as one of Atletico’s summer targets, with manager Diego Simeone keen to bolster his defence with a new right-back.

Bellerin signed a six-and-a-half-year contract in November 2016 and still has four years of that deal to run. He was linked with Juventus last summer, but the Italians were eventually put off by Arsenal’s £50 million valuation.

The Gunners are unlikely to have dropped their valuation of Bellerin this summer and may well not want to sell him at all, but Atletico are prepared to test the water by offering Emery the chance to link up with Vitolo again.

Vitolo played for Seville under Emery and the pair won three Europa League titles together before Emery joined Paris Saint-Germain and Vitolo then signed for Atletico.