Fabregas puts ball in Barcelona's court by insisting he won't force move from Arsenal



By Sportsmail Reporter

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas said on Wednesday he was happy at the Premier League club and no decision had been made about a possible move.



'I am an Arsenal player. I have been very happy for eight years and I am very happy,' Fabregas said at a promotional event, when asked about the prospect of a return to Barcelona.

'I am not thinking about football right now, just about my holidays,' the 24-year-old Spain midfielder said, adding that questions about his future should be directed to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, to whom he had not spoken for six weeks.

Old pals: Cesc Fabregas (right) left Barcelona's youth set-up as a teenager to join Arsenal

'There have been no decisions. The truth is that it doesn't always depend on the player and at the moment I don't know anything,' he added.



'I am very happy where I am. Anything else would be speculation that is untrue. You can never say never in this life as so many things happen that you can never predict.'

Thumbs up: Fabregas insists he is not even thinking about football matters

Spanish media have reported that European champions Barca would have to pay around £35million to secure Fabregas's services for next season.



The player, who moved from Barcelona to London in 2003 at the age of 16, is seen as a natural replacement for playmaker Xavi, who turned 31 in January.

Fabregas admitted he was frustrated at Arsenal's repeated failure to win a trophy but said he believed the club had the resources to end their barren run.

'A player who is not frustrated at not winning titles is either lying to himself or lacks ambition,' he said.



'There is a good team and a good manager and one of the most faithful fan bases in Europe. With those I believe we can make progress and one day win an important trophy.'



Any decision on his future would be taken by Wenger, Fabregas added.



'He is the boss, the one who makes the decisions. You should ask him. I was injured at the end of the season and I haven't seen him for about six weeks.'

Barcelona have spent more than a year trying to coax the Arsenal captain into going public with his desires, and their failure to meet Arsenal's valuation last summer left a bitter taste with a player who felt he had gone as far as he could to engineer the switch.

Team player: Bacary Sagna (centre) has waded into the debate over team-mate Fabregas (left)

The Spanish club also led a systematic campaign through national media agencies as well as Barcelona players to try and unsettle Fabregas and drive a wedge between him and the club's fans.

The latest came when Barca skipper Carles Puyol took to the social media site Twitter to reveal he was set for a holiday with team-mate Gerard Pique and Fabregas.



It said: ‘Arrive tomorrow afternoon with @3gerardpique (Pique) and @cesc4official (Fabregas) in Ibiza. Oooooooh too much.

It had been Pique and Puyol who caused outrage when they forced a shirt onto Fabregas during last summer's World Cup celebrations.

Time to say goodbye? Arsene Wenger faces another summer of battling to keep hold of his captain

The 24-year-old's importance to Arsenal was underpinned by the club's humiliating collapse after February's Carling Cup final, a period their captain spent largely on the sidelines. His position as leader, though has often been questioned with many believing he lacks the leadership qualities required to guide the team to glory.

On the field, he endured a tricky season, often playing out of position at the front of an attacking midfield three. He did however create a goalscoring chance more frequently than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. Earlier team-mate Bacary Sagna waded into the debate over Fabregas' future by claiming the World Cup winner needs to join Barcelona. Stirring it up: Carles Puyol continues to court Fabregas and will holiday with him this summer. The tweet says: 'Arrive tomorrow with @3gerardpique (Pique) and @cesc4official (Fabregas) in Ibiza. Ooh too much.' The Arsenal defender said: 'Compared to last year, yes it's true there are chances of him leaving. Cesc needs to return to his country, to his home to rejoin his family.

'He needs to play for one of the best teams in the world which is Barcelona. One can understand that. But for the moment he's still our captain at Arsenal.'

Another player linked with a move away from Arsenal is Samir Nasri, who is the subject of interest from Manchester United. But Sagna told Radio Monte Carlo that he hopes his fellow Frenchman will stay at the Emirates.

He said: 'Samir’s very important. My wish is to see him again when we return for pre-season. I appreciate him a lot.'

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