Otherwise the wantaway Spanish midfield star will stay put at the gunners.

A Barcelona source said last night: “Arsenal FC have let it be known that unless a deal for Fabregás is sorted by the end of the month then he will stay in London.

“They said although they never wanted to sell their captain they were prepared to reluctantly accept Cesc’s request to come home to Barcelona.

“Arsenal have insisted they have been very fair to Fabregás and Barcelona and this situation is not healthy for neither and has to end.

“They are not prepared to wait much longer and after staying silent throughout the summer, they will issue a public statement to draw a line under this matter at the start of next month.

“We understand there is no way they will sell Fabregás for what we offered but the decision rests with Sandro Rossell, the Barca president.”

Fabregas, who is injured, sat out Arsenal’s trip to Asia, will have talks with Arsene Wenger today after the team’s return to London.

The Arsenal boss said Cesc is set to travel with them to Cologne for a friendly next Friday – and that will pile up the pressure on president Rossell to pay up the full asking price for the player.

Wenger said: “We will have to see how far Cesc is with his injury.

“Normally, yes I expect him to come to Cologne. He is not back in full training, he is back running on the pitch and the next step is to be back in full training. I will assess him on Monday.

“He is in my plans for the rest of pre-season. The problem is we face speculation from everywhere but my target is the same, to keep the players.”

Therefore, after weeks of what they see as insulting behaviour – like Barcelona midfielder Xavi’s statement last week that Cesc is ‘suffering’ at Arsenal – the North London club have said enough is enough.

The European champions have so far offered £31.6m which was instantly rejected by Arsenal for their star player and one of the world’s best midfielders.

If Arsenal were to put Cesc up for auction then Chelsea and Manchester City would certainly be prepared to raise the stakes to over £50m.

Wenger is fighting to convince Cesc Fabregás to stay at Arsenal and it looks increasingly likely Barcelona will miss out on him again, unless they are prepared this time to put their money where their mouth is.

Speaking right after his squad landed in Kuala Lumpur after jetting out on their Far East tour the Gunners boss:

Speaking from Kuala Lumpur where Arsenal are on tour, Wenger has:

• Confirmed Samir Nasri will stay at Arsenal next season despite strong interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City.
• Insisted he is still trying to convince Gunner’s captain Cesc Fabregas to turn his nose up at a move back to boyhood club Barcelona FC.
• Revealed new £11.5million Arsenal star Gervinho has started training at London Colney after completing his move from French outfit Lille.
• Stated that both Nicklas Bendtner and Manuel Almunia are on the verge of quitting the club.

Wenger insisted that Samir Nasri — who has still one year left on his contract — will stay with the gunners regardless of whether he extends his deal or not.

Wenger said: “Will he be at the club this season? I say yes. Will he sign a new contract? I hope so but I’m not the only one to decide that.
“There is always speculation when a player has only one contract year to go and has not signed a new contract that he might leave the club.
“But Samir Nasri is very happy at the club and is committed to staying at Arsenal.”

Speaking about the future of skipper Cesc Fabregas, Wenger added: “Yes, I am convinced Cesc will stay.
“It is as simple as that. I never speak about what’s happening behind closed doors. Cesc loves the club and hopefully we’ll manage.
“We know that this story for Barcelona goes on for years now and we have to close that and for ourselves to focus on the season hopefully with Cesc Fabregas.

“It’s given too many headlines to newspapers for too much time, I think it’s enough.”

With clubs like Fulham, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon interested in Nicklas Bendtner and Atletico Madrid and Malaga scrambling for Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal boss admitted their departures are just a matter of time.
Wenger added: “Both are possible exits, they are holding talks with other clubs at the moment.”

Talking about new Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, Wenger said: “He has joined training today at London Colney, he has come back from holiday and signed.
“He had a medical on Thursday but we sent him back home because he has a family with children. It was so he has time to sort things out for two days.
“He came back yesterday and starts his fitness programme in London today. He is officially an Arsenal player now.
“But I decided not to take him on the tour because he has had no training sessions.”

Wenger has admitted that he would like to add to the squad, but won’t go overspend or go overboard as he feels that the Gunners already have a strong base.

Arsène Wenger said: “We need to add, of course, and we will do. But we have a strong base.

“We have enough quality to beat anyone in the world, even with our current squad.

“You have a Champions League Final and only one team has beaten both of them and that is Arsenal.

“We have a good team and the best away team in the Premier League. “The loss of the Carling Cup Final had a huge impact on the team and we did not handle it well.

“It is not catastrophic and do not think we can go to Coventry and find the player who saves Arsenal Football Club.

“I always try to get value for money. That is the job of a football manager” said Wenger.

Wenger has never re-signed a player during his 13 years in charge at Arsenal but Campbell is set for a surprise return for his former club. Campbell, who last played for Arsenal in the Champions League final in 2006, played the first half of the reserves’ 4-2 win over West Ham.

The 35 year-old has been training at the club’s Hertfordshire base since quitting Notts County last year and has thanked Wenger for giving him another chance. “Arsene Wenger has been an inspiration,” he said. “He has watched me closely after letting me train at Arsenal for nearly two months now.

“He’s not stupid – he wouldn’t have taken me back if he didn’t like what he has seen, and I have worked and worked. I do believe I can contribute. “I really have my confidence and fitness back and I believe I can make a big, big contribution.

original text here at The Telegraph

The savvy Frenchman is believed to have up to £80million to spend should he require it, but has insisted that he has no plans at the moment to spend cash in the transfer market.

Arsene Wenger is happy with the players he currently has at the club and is not tempted to spend any of the club’s recently announced £35million after tax profits.

“There is money to spend but at the moment I am very happy with the squad I have,” said Wenger.

“It’s not because I’m against spending money; I have nothing against spending money. It is not a personal thing, it is just that I have a squad that is strong enough to compete.”

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Olympiacos, he added:”I do not spend money because out of tomorrow’s squad is (Samir) Nasri, (Theo) Walcott, (Nicklas) Bendtner.

“People want me to buy strikers, but where do I put them? I don’t know. I have to then lose players who, for me, are world-class.”

docklands apartments

The Arsenal boss lodged a bid for the Bordeaux striker last week, which was ruled out by the French club who are holding out for around £15million.

However Wenger warned the French side that they are in serious danger of allowing their client to walk away for nothing, as come January 1st Chamakh will be free to talk to other clubs ahead of a Bosman move.

Arsene has suggested that his interest in the player is over for the time being and it seems he is prepared to play the waiting game if need be.

more here at Footballfancast

fc barcelona blog

The Italian Tuttosport newspaper claims the San Siro club already have an understanding with Arsene Wenger to buy the Spain playmaker, when the Arsenal boss decides he is ready to sell.

The report claims Milan coach Leonardo will meet with vice-president Adriano Galliani and Italy’s prime minister Silvio Berlusconi – the club’s owner – on Wednesday to discuss the move.

original source: metro.co.uk

“I am not sure how many times I need to talk directly about my commitment to Arsenal as I continue to say the same thing over and over again,” he said. “It appears that every time I have spoken to the Spanish media recently, my words have bounced back to England, leaving question marks about my future. So, for anyone who is unclear or may have misunderstood what my position is, let me make myself absolutely crystal clear – I am whole- heartedly committed to Arsenal and my future lies with this great club.”

original source
Liverpool Echo

According a report in the Sun, Arsenal are confident they can outbid their London rivals with an offer of £16.5 million for the 26-year-old who returns to training with Real Madrid on Friday.

The Spanish giants, who only signed the striker in January, are understood to want Huntelaar‘s future resolved by the end of next week but have given no hint as to which Premier League club stands the better chance of securing a deal.

More here on Telegraph.co.uk

Melo, who arrived in Florence from Spanish side Almeria last summer in a €8.1 million transfer, is a target of the Gunners.

“(Arsenal manager Arsene) Wenger wants to talk to me,” said Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino. “I have no objection also because Eboue seems a valid swap.”

Brazilian Melo (25) has signed a one-year contract extension with Fiorentina that includes a €25 million release clause. He is contracted to Fiorentina until 2013 and is also a target of Juventus.

“In order for that (Melo to go to Juve) to happen, there needs to be a payment of €25 million as stipulated in his release clause,” said Corvino. “No club has made such an offer and there are no meetings arranged in the near future.”

Read more here at The Irish Times