Cesc Fábregas hopes his transfer to
Barcelona will go through before Arsenal's pre-season Asian tour.
Photograph: Achmad Ibrahim/AP
Cesc Fábregas fears his hopes of finally completing a move back to his boyhood club, Barcelona, could be frustrated beyond the weekend, with Arsenal and the Catalan side still at odds over their valuation of the Spain midfielder and, as yet, unwilling to compromise.
The 24-year-old reported for training as expected at London Colney on Tuesday, working in the gym with a private fitness coach as he is suffering from a hamstring strain, with his representatives having made it clear to Arsène Wenger that the player wishes to end his eight-year stay in north London to return to Barcelona.
Arsenal have accepted they are likely to lose their captain in the current transfer window having deflected the Catalans' interest over recent summers. Yet, understandably given the player is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2015, the Premier League club have made it clear to the Fábregas camp that he will only be permitted to leave for a fee deemed acceptable. That would amount to around £40m, a figure Real Madrid had previously indicated they might be prepared to offer but at which Barça have balked.
The European champions have submitted two bids to date this summer, their opening salvo amounting to some £27m with an improved offer that would eventually be worth around £35m made last week, but neither has been considered acceptable by either Wenger or the Arsenal hierarchy. The north London club's instinct is to sell the player to the highest foreign bidders who, at present, would appear to be Real – a club Fábregas has no intention of joining – unless Barça's stance shifts.
The Catalans' reluctance to up their interest further apparently hinges upon a lingering dissatisfaction with the level of compensation they accrued when the highly rated teenagers Jon Toral and Héctor Bellerín moved to north London ahead of the new season for a combined fee of around £600,000. Barcelona rated the youngsters at nearer 10 times that amount and want that valuation factored into the fee for Fábregas, a compromise Arsenal are reluctant to grant.
That has left talks stalled and Fábregas effectively in limbo, a familiar impasse, with the player disappointed that the move has not been swiftly resolved. He had hoped a transfer would be settled before he would be required to return for pre-season training, though now the likelihood is that nothing will have been concluded before the club depart for their pre-season tour of Malaysia and China on Sunday.
Fábregas, whose image has been used in promotional material for that two-match, week-long tour on the club's website, could yet be prevented from making the trip by the hamstring strain that is expected to see him train with his own fitness coach for the remainder of the week. He will hope that there is a breakthrough in the negotiations before the awkward decision over whether he is to travel to the far east or not has to be made.
Arsenal's pursuit of the Vélez Sársfield midfielder Ricardo Alvarez is set to be frustrated, with Internazionale expected to thwart them by signing him. The Italians are believed to have agreed an £11m fee for the player, who is to sign a five-year contract at San Siro.
The 24-year-old reported for training as expected at London Colney on Tuesday, working in the gym with a private fitness coach as he is suffering from a hamstring strain, with his representatives having made it clear to Arsène Wenger that the player wishes to end his eight-year stay in north London to return to Barcelona.
Arsenal have accepted they are likely to lose their captain in the current transfer window having deflected the Catalans' interest over recent summers. Yet, understandably given the player is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2015, the Premier League club have made it clear to the Fábregas camp that he will only be permitted to leave for a fee deemed acceptable. That would amount to around £40m, a figure Real Madrid had previously indicated they might be prepared to offer but at which Barça have balked.
The European champions have submitted two bids to date this summer, their opening salvo amounting to some £27m with an improved offer that would eventually be worth around £35m made last week, but neither has been considered acceptable by either Wenger or the Arsenal hierarchy. The north London club's instinct is to sell the player to the highest foreign bidders who, at present, would appear to be Real – a club Fábregas has no intention of joining – unless Barça's stance shifts.
The Catalans' reluctance to up their interest further apparently hinges upon a lingering dissatisfaction with the level of compensation they accrued when the highly rated teenagers Jon Toral and Héctor Bellerín moved to north London ahead of the new season for a combined fee of around £600,000. Barcelona rated the youngsters at nearer 10 times that amount and want that valuation factored into the fee for Fábregas, a compromise Arsenal are reluctant to grant.
That has left talks stalled and Fábregas effectively in limbo, a familiar impasse, with the player disappointed that the move has not been swiftly resolved. He had hoped a transfer would be settled before he would be required to return for pre-season training, though now the likelihood is that nothing will have been concluded before the club depart for their pre-season tour of Malaysia and China on Sunday.
Fábregas, whose image has been used in promotional material for that two-match, week-long tour on the club's website, could yet be prevented from making the trip by the hamstring strain that is expected to see him train with his own fitness coach for the remainder of the week. He will hope that there is a breakthrough in the negotiations before the awkward decision over whether he is to travel to the far east or not has to be made.
Arsenal's pursuit of the Vélez Sársfield midfielder Ricardo Alvarez is set to be frustrated, with Internazionale expected to thwart them by signing him. The Italians are believed to have agreed an £11m fee for the player, who is to sign a five-year contract at San Siro.