EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal ace wanted in Spain
REAL MADRID and Barcelona are ready to exploit Arsenal turmoil by
making a move for Cesc Fabregas.
As former Gunners captain Thierry Henry was unveiled as a Barca
player last night, the Catalan giants were preparing the ground to
recapture Fabregas in a £15million swoop.
And with Arsene Wenger's prime target Ryan Babel set to reject a
move to the Emirates because of doubts over the manager's long-term
commitment to the club, Spanish champions Real will also join a
bidding war if they see any sign that Arsenal may listen to
offers.
Both Spanish clubs see the sale of Henry, and Wenger's failure to
make any public commitment to stay after his contract runs out next
summer, as proof that the Gunners are ripe for raiding. And they
are poised to test Arsenal's resolve to keep the midfielder whose
free signing from Barcelona's youth team four years ago was
arguably Wenger's most audacious and successful piece of
business.
Fabregas, the remaining jewel in the Emirates crown, is the prized
asset Gunners fans would not countenance losing.
The 20-year-old, who signed an eight-year extension to his contract
last October, admitted earlier this month that he "dreamed about
returning to Barcelona one day".
Fabregas has told friends he wants to stay at Arsenal for one more
season, after which he expects Wenger to quit and then he will
follow the Frenchman out of the door.
Yet the Arsenal board would be reluctant to agree to any sale in
the wake of Henry's exit, fearful of the message it would send
out.
The threat to Fabregas comes with Holland Under-21 star Babel on
the brink of rejecting a £6m move due to the doubts over the future
of Wenger, who is on holiday until next week.
The Frenchman will resist boardroom efforts to persuade him to sign
an extension to his current contract.
