Hector Bellerin has insisted that penning a new long-term Arsenal deal was an easy decision to make, despite being repeatedly linked with a move away from the club.

The 21-year-old confirmed on Monday afternoon that he had agreed fresh terms with the Gunners, which is expected to keep him at the Emirates Stadium until 2023 should the contract be honoured in full.

Bellerin has been tipped with a return to former side Barcelona ever since breaking into Arsenal's first-team ranks two years ago, but the Spaniard has constantly denied claims that he wanted to depart North London and has now reiterated that leaving was not an option.

"I'm really, really happy and this club is my home right now," he told the club's official website. "I've been here for more than five years now so I was really, really excited when the club told me that they wanted to extend my contract. I wasn't thinking about anything else other than staying here and continuing my development here.

"This is where I'm happy. I'm just very grateful and pleased to have signed. Arsenal is not only about being a footballer, you have to be a good person to play here. That's what everyone transmits inside the club. You represent more than just a football club. I'm a player who tries to be an example for everyone, not just on the pitch but off it as well.

"Now I've just got to keep on progressing, keep working hard to be the best player I can be, and hopefully help the team to be where its got to be, to win some silverware. That's what everyone wants and that's what I'm working towards."

Bellerin was called up to Spain's Euro 2016 squad in the summer and was also named as right-back in last season's PFA Premier League Team of the Year.