• Gunners had turned down €35m bid for captain • 'Arsenal don't want to sit down and negotiate with us'

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

The Barcelona board spokesman Toni Freixa says the Catalan club are doing all they can to sign the Arsenal captain Cesc Fábregas but revealed the Gunners are simply unwilling to negotiate the sale of their midfielder.

Since having a €35m (£29.3) bid turned down earlier this summer, Barça have made several attempts to speak to Arsenal, but Freixa says the London club are unwilling to budge.

"Arsenal don't want to sit down and negotiate with us. It's not a problem with the wishes of Cesc or of Barça – they simply don't want to negotiate," he said.

Fábregas still has five years to run on his Arsenal contract. However, the Barcelona midfielder Xavi claimed last week that the 23-year-old told his Spain team-mates he wants a return to Catalonia.

The Barça coach, Pep Guardiola, has also recently reiterated his desire to sign Fábregas, although he conceded the final decision rests with the Gunners.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are looking to bring in a defensive midfielder as cover for Sergio Busquets and as a replacement for Yaya Touré, who recently joined Manchester City. "The technical secretary is working hard on that," Freixa said.