Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has moved to quell speculation over his future by pledging to stay with the Premier League club.
With Real Madrid embarking on a dramatic spending spree over the last week that saw the Spanish club sign Kaka for a world record £60 million (US$100 million) and then make an £80 million offer for Cristiano Ronaldo, it was inevitable that Spain midfielder Fabregas should be thrown into the mix as a potential Bernabeu signing.
But the 22-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Barcelona’s youth academy, has no plans to emulate Ronaldo’s proposed move to Spain.
PHOTO: AFP
“Of course I see my future at Arsenal. I have a very long contract with the club,” Fabregas said in an interview with Arsenal TV Online. “I would have never signed that if I did not think I was capable of making it [to the end of the contract]. The boss knows that I really want to stay here.”
“What you cannot stop is what people say about you,” he said. “The press can write or say whatever they want. Here, I do not get involved at all. Since I am 18, they have been saying that — but I am still here.”
Fabregas, who is under contract until at least 2014, added: “I just say what I feel — and what I feel is that I hope I can be at Arsenal for many years and lift trophies which they have never lifted before, like the Champions League, to lift the Premier League, FA Cups. I am really looking forward to it because I am sure the future is bright here.”
Fabregas spent the best part of four months on the sidelines in the middle of last season following a knee problem.
He won’t get much rest in the close-season as he is heading off to South Africa, where he will play for European champions Spain in the Confederations Cup.
“It is a pleasure to be involved,” he said. “With Spain we are going through a moment which is historic and have not lost a match in something like 30, which is unbelievable. Now, when you see Spain play, even if they are losing you are not worried because you know they will come back.”
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