02.06.2010
Barcelona make official bid for Arsenal's Fabregas
Spanish champions Barcelona have lodged a "serious" bid with Arsenal for the club's highly-valued midfielder Cesc Fabregas, seen here in 2008, and say they are "optimistic" they can close the deal.
Barcelona have been courting Fabregas for some time and hope to convince Arsenal to allow the Spanish international to return to the Camp Nou, where he was part of the club's youth set-up.
Barcelona director general Joan Oliver said on the club's website Wednesday: "Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon we made a serious, written offer to Arsenal" for Fabregas.
"Everyone knows that Cesc wants to play at Barca and they also know that we want to sign him, but the third factor in this equation is Arsenal. Any agreement has to go through them."
Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste added: "I'm hoping he can sign with Barcelona as quickly as possible. I'm optimistic... But we're not going to do anything that compromises this transaction.
"The ball is in Arsenal's court right now and we believe we have excellent relations with the club."
Despite playing in English football's top tier since 2003, Fabregas is still only 23 years old and still has four years left on his Arsenal contract.
Reports suggest Barcelona have offered 24 million pounds for the player, although the Gunners are believed to value Fabregas at a far higher price.
Barcelona recently boosted their squad for next season by adding another Spanish international, Valencia's David Villa, for 33 million pounds.
Source: © 2010 AFP - Carl de Souza
|
International Football / International Football .jpg)
