Arsenal announced today that they have reached an agreement that will send Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona. Arsenal will net around £35m from the transfer.
The move will be completed once Fabregas passes a medical in Barcelona and signs his contract, along with the usual legal and registration processes.
According to The Telegraph, Barcelona say they will pay €14.5m right away, with another payment of €14.5m in October. If Barcelona win two La Liga titles and one Champions League title in the next five years, €6m more will be given to Arsenal.
Arsenal must feel that Barcelona will accomplish these goals. Added all up, the offer could be worth £35m (€40m).
Cesc Fabregas has finally received his dream move to the Nou Camp. Here is what Arsene Wenger told Arsenal.com after the announcement.
“We have been clear that we didn’t want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc’s desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success.”
Wenger surprised many on Friday, when he told the media: “I expect nobody to leave the club.” We now know that Arsene was lying to the fans and media during that much-anticipated press conference. Or maybe he just didn’t want to spark a panic.
The Gunners were not able to convince Barcelona to pay their asking price. It was believed that Wenger wanted £40m for his captain. The Camp Nou management remained stubborn [...]
Pep Guardiola said yesterday that Barcelona are in “advanced” talks to sign Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal are ready to make a new push for Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill. Phil Jagielka is also still being pursued by the Gunners.
Pep Guardiola talked about Fabregas in a press conference: “Cesc is not here yet, but it [the deal] is very advanced.
“[Director of sport] Andoni Zubizarreta said there is still something missing, and so Fabregas is still an Arsenal player [for now] as he is not here.
“I don’t know if Cesc will arrive on Monday, the important thing is to think about our game in the Supercopa.”
Guardiola believes that the whole Cesc saga is a distraction to his club ahead of their Supercopa match against Real Madrid. On Friday, Guardiola halted Cesc while he was on his way to the airport. The Barcelona manager wants to hold off the Fabregas’ arrival until after Sunday’s match.
Even Guardiola thinks that Cesc is a distraction. This Fabregas drama needs to end for the good of both clubs involved. Barcelona’s behavior during all the negotiations was insulting. Wenger just needs to let Cesc go, and the constant questioning will stop.
According to The Mirror, Arsene Wenger is prepared to launch a new bid for Gary Cahill. The offer will be for £16.5m, as Wenger desperately wants to secure the Bolton centre-half. Arsenal scout Steve Rowley looked at Cahill in Bolton’s 4-0 win over QPR. Cahill scored from a long-distance curler, which must have pleased Rowley.
Reports say that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is very close to getting his dream move to Barcelona. Arsene Wenger is willing to accept less than his asking price.
According to just about every newspaper, Barcelona are centimetres away from signing Cesc. The reports initially came from Spanish media outlets saying that Arsenal were finally going to make a deal with Barcelona. Expect Fabregas at the Nou Camp by the end of the week.
The Guardian says the the Barcelona offer is £25.4m with possible addition payments of £5.3m. Also, with Fabregas ready to decline an Arsenal bonus of £4.4m, the offer could net Arsenal around £34.1m.
According to The Telegraph, Arsene Wenger is ready to back off of his £40m asking price and accept a bid of £35m. Everyone involved with Arsenal want the Cesc drama to end as soon as possible.
According to Daily Mail, “reliable Catalan sources” confirmed that an agreement will come soon. Arsene Wenger wants to move on and focus on the season.
So, how should we, Arsenal supporters, feel about this news? On one hand, the burden will finally be lifted. On the other hand, Wenger may have been bullied by Barcelona to lower his rating of Fabregas.
Once the official transfer is announced I will be relieved. This Barca situation has gone on for far too long. Cesc has been a poor captain of our club. It is time to move on with the squad.
Reports are also confirming that Nasri is close to a move [...]
Cesc Fabregas will sacrifice his Arsenal bonus for a move to Barcelona. Manchester City have their sights set on Samir Nasri. Reports say that Arsenal are close to signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
According to Daily Mail, Cesc will let Arsenal keep £4 million in bonuses as long as he gets he transfer to the Nou Camp. Fabregas will forget about the payments in order to increase Arsenal’s chances of selling him to Barcelona. This news comes after we heard that Fabregas will take a pay-cut at Barca help pay for his own transfer fee.
Barca made a £32m bid last week with an addition £5m available through mysterious payments. If Fabregas can convince Arsenal to keep his bounus money, Barcelona will basically meet Arsene Wenger’s asking price. Then it will be up to the Arsenal boss to make the final decision.
Cesc is going to great lengths to get a deal done, but Arsene Wenger may not buy into Fabregas’ scheme. Wenger may continue to ask for £4om from Barcelona, without the “additional” payments and pay cuts.
According to Daily Mirror, Manchester City will push to sign Samir Nasri this week. Ajax star Christian Eriksen snubbed a move to City, and now Mancini will turn his attention to Nasri. Arsenal have already turned down a £21m Nasri offer from City. Mancini is expected to step-up City’s chase of the French midfielder.
Wenger must avoid losing both of his stars in a single week. If either Fabregas or Nasri leaves, Arsenal must sign Valencia’s Juan Mata or someone else [...]
Arsene Wenger said yesterday that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas will miss the start of the season due to mysterious circumstances…
Cesc was surprisingly left out of the Arsenal squad to play Benfica on Saturday night despite training with the team all week. It was expected that Fabregas would play his first pre-season match in Portugal, but Arsene Wenger said that his skipper will miss the opening of the season (telling Arsenal.com):
“I don’t think Fabregas will be ready to start the season. He has been out for a long time and has had no games.”
These telling comments from Wenger came after he told the media this about Cesc: “I do not want to speak about the transfer of Fabregas because I have done that for three years now in every press conference, so I don’t think there is any more need to add something. I love Fabregas and I want him to stay. He is just coming back from injury and is not ready to play in a game. But he is not injured.”
If Cesc is not injured, then why can’t he play a few minutes against Benfica? Something seems suspicious.
Barcelona must be close to meeting Wenger’s asking price. They have already offered the Gunners £35m for Fabregas, but Arsene wants his £40m. It is possible that Cesc refused to play in this friendly match, and Wenger wanted to keep the situation out of the news.
So, no Fabregas for the start of the season because he is not match-fit. But Wenger [...]
Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke was in London yesterday to discuss Cesc Fabregas. Barcelona are desperate to buy Fabregas in the next eleven days.
According to Daily Mail, American Stan Kroenke was at the Emirates Stadium yesterday for members day. Kroenke was also in London to talk with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis regarding Fabregas.
Barcelona have reportedly submitted a £35 million offer for the Gunners’ captain, but £5m of the fee is add-ons. Not to mention Cesc will have to take a pay-cut to help Barcelona pay his transfer fee. Arsene Wenger wants £40m for the Spanish star.
According to The Independent, Kroenke supports Wenger’s price for Fabregas. The American owner will let Arsene hold firm with Barcelona at £40m. Barcelona will either have to pay up or leave Cesc alone.
Andreas Iniesta had not yet decided to leave Arsenal and Fabregas alone, telling ESPN: “We have said it many times before. We would be thrilled with his arrival. We are speaking about one of the best, but it all depends on the two clubs as well as the player’s wishes.”
Arsenal have basically set an 11-day deadline for Barcelona in their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. In mid-August (17 or 18), the Gunners will play the first leg of their Champions League qualifier. If Fabregas features in the match, he will be unable to play for another club in this season’s Champions League.
Barcelona will be desperate to secure Cesc before Arsenal begin the qualification. Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri will be suspended [...]
Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said that his club will “respect” Arsenal during the Cesc Fabregas negotiations. We have yet to see this “respect” shown toward the Gunners.
Here is what Zubizarreta said: ”We need to be respectful of the team Cesc belongs to. We won’t comment on the Fabregas negotiations. There will be time for that in the future.”
Is the Barcelona sporting director the only person at the Camp Nou who believes Arsenal deserve respect? It seems that way after many of the Barca players have publicly recruited Fabregas. Even politicans in Barcelona have joined the fight to capture Cesc from the Emirates Stadium.
Xavi recently told ESPN: “Cesc is a footballer who would come to add to this squad. Fabregas is a player that, if he comes, will help us play in different ways. He has the final pass on him and he can score too. He grew up here with Barcelona. He would adapt perfectly to our style of play.”
Xavi’s comments appear innocent at first, but he has relentlessly pressured Fabregas and Arsenal through the media.
The most vocal Barcelona PR men so far have been Xavi and Gerrard Pique. Xavi famously said that Cesc was “suffering” at Arsenal, and has repeatedly obsessed about the Gunner captain. Pique, along Puyol, famously pulled a Barca shirt over the head of the unsuspecting Fabregas.
The Catalan mayor claimed that Cesc “is experiencing a kidnapping” at the Emirates. The Catalans believe that every Catalan player should be obligated to play at the Nou Camp. [...]
Barcelona are preparing to launch a new bid for Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas. Although the bid does not meet Arsene Wenger’s asking price, many believe that the Gunners are growing tired of the Fabregas saga.
According to The Telegraph, Barcelona are set to offer £35 million for the Arsenal captain. Arsene Wenger wants £40m for Fabregas, and he may not consider anything less. The only formal offer from Barcelona for Cesc was £27m, which was immediately turned down by the Gunners.
It will be interesting to see how Wenger deals with this fresh bid. Does he give in to Barcelona in order to settle his squad before the start of the season? Or does he stick to his asking price and make Barca pay up?
In my opinion, Wenger will stay true to the £40m. He does not want to sell Cesc, and he has no reason to sell Cesc. Yes, Fabregas wants to go, but he should of thought about that before he signed his long-term deal to stay at the Emirates.
According to The Telegraph, Barcelona may offer £5m in add-ons to raise the overall price of the offer. Barcelona expect Fabregas to pay off this £5m by accepting less money. This information would go along with the reports saying that Cesc would have to pay part of his transfer fee.
Cesc Fabregas will reportedly release a recorded farewell to Arsenal fans once he completes his move to Barcelona. Barcelona are also asking Fabregas to pay part of his transfer fee. The Fabregas-Barcelona saga is getting more ridiculous every hour.
According to Daily Mirror, Cesc has plans to record a goodbye to the Gooner faithful before he heads off to the Nou Camp. Some reports are saying that he will tape the farewell tomorrow in hopes that a deal will be completed in the coming days
According to a different article in Daily Mirror, Barcelona want Cesc Fabregas to help pay his transfer fee. Barcelona only want Cesc to pay Arsenal around £4m. How cute is that?
Barcelona’s dirty tricks are getting on every Arsenal supporter’s last nerve. First, they send Xavi and Pique out to try to lower Wenger’s price using the media as a platform. Now they are even asking Cesc to cover some of his deal. And our captain still thinks Barcelona want him on their squad?
The Barcelona hierarchy are not bothered to pay full price for Cesc. Instead, they will try everything and anything to change Wenger’s asking price of £40m. All Gooners know that Wenger is a stubborn man, and Barcelona should not bet on him budging here.
Barca’s stance is understandable to a point, but why do they even need Cesc Fabregas? He cannot start ahead of Xavi and Iniesta in their current 4-4-3 formation. Many bill Cesc as the replacement for Xavi, but Xavi is still [...]
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood want the Cesc Fabregas-Barcelona saga to end quickly. Hill-Wood said that Barcelona need to stop “messing about” or Arsenal will end talks. Wenger will not include Fabregas for the Emirates Cup squad because the captain is “unsettled.”
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood is clearly frustrated with the Barcelona negotiations for Cesc (told to Daily Star): “They have been messing about for a year and a half now and they have got to make up their minds. The ball is in their court. They have made one bid of around £26 million and another rather tentative one.
“If they want to buy the player they are going to have to pay the right price – and when you look at what is being paid elsewhere I don’t think what we are asking is at all unreasonable.”
Hill-Wood also declared that Arsenal are “close” to calling off the talks all together with Barcelona.
Strong statements from the chairman on Cesc Fabregas. Either Barca need to pay up or leave our captain alone. Pay the £40m asking price or go home. Fabregas is not demanding a transfer and Arsenal are willing to keep him.
Arsene Wenger will not play Cesc Fabregas during the Emirates cup, as Wenger waits for Fabregas to make up his mind: “He will not be involved because at the moment he is not settled. He is coming back from an injury and is not settled with us.
“You know all the speculation which is around [...]
