On his way? Cesc Fabregas (centre) has asked to leave Arsenal for BarcelonaArsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has broken the Gunners silence to declare he is confident Cesc Fabregas will stay at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spain midfielder has privately told boss Arsene Wenger that he wants to return to Barcelona, but Arsenal are understood to have in turn put a prohibitive £80million price-tag on his head.
Hill-Wood refused to confirm his club's valuation, instead insisting that no bid would be welcomed from Catalonia.
'The message has been given to them we don’t want to lose him and will do our damnedest to keep him,' Hill-Wood told Goal.com.
Main man: Fabregas will be missed'We haven’t had an official approach from them and have made it perfectly clear we don’t want to lose him.
I don’t know if he will stay. I’ve really got little to say but we very much hope he stays with us and we’re confident he will.'
Hill-Wood made extraordinary claims last month Barcelona had promised not to make a move for Fabregas this summer.
However, Barca have gone public on their plans to take home the 23-year-old and believe they have the upper hand in valuing him at £30m.
They would like Fabregas to publicly declare his plans, while Nou Camp president Joan Laporta insists he will not be held to ransom for a player who has won little more than the FA Cup since leaving the La Masia academy seven years ago.
'We are not going to pay more than we think is normal and logical,' said Laporta. 'You have to take into account what he has won and the needs of both clubs.
There are various ways of coming to the right price for a player who was raised by Barcelona.'
Laporta is keen that the issue does not dominate elections to replace him as president and wants to complete a deal before he leaves on June 30.
Signed up: David Villa was unveiled at Barcelona on Thursday eveningWith the poll to take place on June 13, he insists it is also in the interests of the club to conclude transfer business before the World Cup. Valencia striker David Villa has already arrived in a £34m move from Valencia.
'It's not just before I leave, but before you start the World Cup because transfers can then become more expensive,' he said, explaining the rush to do business.
It is speculated in Catalonia that Fabregas will be unveiled as a Barca player on either June 4 or 9. The first date is when Spain's World Cup squad arrive back from training in Austria, while June 9 is likely to be a day off for Vincente del Bosque's players following a friendly against Poland in Murcia.
source: dailymail
