Barcelona could offer Alexander Hleb a return
to
Arsenal as part of attempts to sign Cesc
Fabregas.
Alexander Hleb could be offered a return to
Arsenal as part of Barcelona's
attempts to sign Cesc Fabregas.
The Catalans are desperate to reduce the prohibitive £80million
demanded by the Gunners for their captain and are considering
several players to offer in part-exchange.
Arsene Wenger would be keen on midfielder Yaya Toure if he is to
lose Fabregas, but the Ivory Coast midfielder is holding out for
better offers.
The Emirates boss is also not keen on a straight swap for Sweden
striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but throwing Hleb into the mix could
give the Frenchman something to think about.
The 29-year-old did not leave north London in the best of
circumstances two years ago, but admitted last summer that he
should never have left the Barclays Premier League.
'For me, Wenger was like a father. I consider him one of the
best managers in the world,' he said last July.
'For such a boss one wants to die on the pitch. Arsene managed
to create a smashing team with a wonderful atmosphere inside of
it.'
The Belarus international has suffered an unhappy second half of
the season on loan at Stuttgart and has signalled his intention to
return to the Nou Camp and fight for his place.
However, Barca were all too keen to offload him last year,
initially offering him to Inter Milan as part of the Ibrahimovic
deal, and Fabregas's arrival would give him even less chances of
figuring in Pep Guardiola's first team.
Old pals: Hleb and Fabregas (centre) during their
days together at Arsenal
Wenger counted on Hleb for three seasons after signing
him from Stuttgart for more than £11m in 2005. A regular primarily
on the right of midfield, he scored 11 goals in 130 appearances
before angling for the ill-fated move to Barca.
Aston Villa, Manchester City and Sunderland have also been
linked with a summer move for him.
The Sol Campbell deal apart, Wenger rarely goes back to old
player and he remains in no mood to do business with Barca despite
Fabregas telling him on Tuesday that he wants to reutrn to his
boyhood team.
Should an £80m bid be forthcoming - an offer they can't refuse -
Wenger is likely to prefer the cash to launch moves for players
normally only within the grasp of Barca, Real, Chelsea, Manchester
United and, more recently, Manchester City.