ARSENAL ARE GROWING resigned to the loss of their two stand-out players from last season.
Barcelona are increasingly confident of finalising a deal this week for the club’s talismanic midflielder, Cesc Fabregas, bringing to an end a lengthy and disruptive courting process that’s spanned nearly two seasons, according to today’s Independent.
The clubs appear to have settled on a final payment of a little under £30m, considerably lower than Arsenal’s initial valuation, with the possibility of an additional £5m in add-ons, should Barcelona’s title-winning success continue.
Nasri, on the other hand, has found himself the subject of a £25m bid from Manchester City. Tempted by their offer to make him one of the highest-paid players in international football, the Frenchman has set his sights on leaving Emirates.
“Nasri is out of contract next summer and already had a £200,000-a-week deal on the table from City… Although it has been suggested that Fabregas will take a pay cut in his £120,000-a-week wages, the reality is that the player will simply accept a lower offer from Barcelona than the improvement on his existing deal that he could have earned by signing a new contract at Arsenal.”
It appears that neither player will be included in the Arsenal squad to face Newcastle this weekend.
The deals are expected to leave Arsenal Wenger with a transfer fund of nearly £60m, but only a little over a fortnight in which to bolster his depleted squad. The signing of Valencia’s Juan Mata appears the immediate priority, with the signing of another midfielder and centre-back looking inevitable.
