Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola admitted yesterday that the chances of landing Cesc Fabregas this summer now lay entirely with the World Cup winner’s club Arsenal.
The English Premier League side have all but withdrawn from negotiation after rejecting a 25 million euro (US$32 million) offer from the Spanish champions where their captain, who still has five years of his contract to run, began his career before moving to London.
“He is a very important player for Arsenal and I understand that he will cost a lot of money,” Guardiola said at a press conference.
“It is Arsenal who are in charge [of this deal] and if Arsenal don’t want it, ah well, he will not come,” he said.
Barcelona president Sandro Rossel, who reportedly had an angry confrontation with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger during the World Cup in South Africa over the future of Fabregas, is expected to head to London today with a renewed offer of 40 million euros.
Guardiola understands the notion of losing a senior player for financial reasons as financially-strapped Barca have offloaded Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, as well as defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy and veteran striker Thierry Henry.
“It’s a big blow for us,” he said of Toure’s departure to Premier League side Manchester City in a deal believed to be worth around 33 million euros.
“I did everything possible to get him to stay and he’s a popular player in the dressing room, but he wanted to leave and there’s not much I could do,” he said
“I am grateful for everything he gave Barca and I hope he finds a [regular] place [at City] that I was unable to give him,” Guardiola said.
Another big name who could be on his way out of Barcelona is the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who only joined the club from Inter last year in a deal that involved a swap for Samuel Eto’o.
Guardiola said the decision to remain or to move on was in the hands of Ibrahimovic.
“With a player at this level, it is up to him to decide on his future. He is a very special player of the highest level and only he can decide on what he wants to do,” Guardiola said.
The Catalan sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported at the end of last month that Ibrahimovic “had decided to leave Barcelona,” linking him with a possible return to Italy.
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