Barcelona call off their pursuit of former player Hector Bellerin after Arsenal sent them a letter warning them to stop unsettling the defender

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Barcelona have abandoned their pursuit of Hector Bellerin after Arsenal wrote them a letter to warn them off.

Gunners officials sent a formal letter telling the Catalans to stop trying to unsettle the right back, who had been linked with a £30m move to the club he left for Arsenal at the age of 16.

And the message appears to have landed, with Barcelona now switching their attention elsewhere.

Hector Bellerin has become a key player for Arsenal since joining from Barcelona aged 16

That news may go down well with Barcelona legend Xavi, who had warned against bringing Bellerin back.

'I haven't seen him play a lot, but I'll tell you something, it's difficult for me to accept signing a player we already had,' he said.

‘I would not sign players who leave. Why are they leaving at 16 or 17? It's baffling to be. I don't understand it. You were here, you wanted to leave, then you don't come back.'