Barcelona tell Arsenal: £40m for Cesc Fabregas, and that's our final offer!Barcelona are preparing to make a final bid of almost £40million to take World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal in time for the start of the new season. The Gunners captain is on holiday after celebrations in Spain last week, when he was tricked into wearing a Barca shirt, before a return to London in two weeks for pre-season training.
But new Barcelona president Sandro Rosell is committed to taking the player back to the club where he trained as a boy.
Fabregas has told manager Arsene Wenger that he wishes to join the Catalan club but Arsenal have been infuriated by the implication from Barca that the player's return this summer was inevitable.
Yesterday Wenger insisted: 'I fully expect Cesc to be an Arsenal player this season. He is our captain and we want to keep him and that is why we didn't listen to any offers. We do not just give in because somebody wants somebody from us.
'I believe Cesc loves the club and I am confident the story will end there. We want Cesc at our club next season and that is it. The talking has stopped and we never wanted it to start.'
Clubmate Robin van Persie, who played against Fabregas in the World Cup final last Sunday in Johannesburg, stressed the importance of keeping a midfielder of such quality.
Van Persie said: 'It is vital for a striker to have a midfielder behind you who is looking for you when he has the ball. In fact, it can make the difference between winning the World Cup or not.
'At Arsenal, I have that connection with Fabregas. When I play with Cesc behind me, it is pure magic. He has an incredibly quick mind. He is always thinking three steps ahead.'
Rosell hopes that by blaming Barcelona's previous president, Joan Laporta, for the undiplomatic approach to negotiations, he can resurrect the deal.
Barcelona have already had a bid of £30m rejected by Arsenal, who are understood not to be willing to consider any offer less than £50m.
Barcelona's financial constraints forced them to take out a further £130m bridging loan last week, and Rosell said: 'The economic situation is very delicate. We will not bid for Fabregas at any price.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1295597/Barcelona-tell-Arsenal--40m-Cesc-Fabregas-thats-final-offer.html
