Following confirmation last night that Barça and Arsenal had reached an initial agreement for the transfer of the Spain international, Fàbregas this morning undertook a two-stage medical before the Catalan club confirmed on their official Twitter page that he had put pen to paper on his contract.
The 24-year-old, who has had a 200 million euro (over £175million) buy-out clause inserted in his contract, is now set to be officially presented to the Barça fans this afternoon at the Nou Camp before then speaking to the media.
Barcelona posted a comment on their official Twitter feed which read: "Cesc has signed his contract which ties him to Barcelona until 2016. The buy-out clause is 200 million euros."
According to the Barcelona website, Fabregas' medicals have proven him to be in perfect condition.
Barcelona's first-team doctor Ricard Pruna said: "All the tests taken have been satisfactory."
Pruna added that Fabregas "can be integrated into training without any problem."
Barça's next match sees them take on Real Madrid in the second leg of the Spanish Supercopa at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night. Barça drew 2-2 in the first leg at the Bernabeu last night.
The announcement brings to an end the long-running transfer saga and sees Fabregas return to his local club Barça, who he left for Arsenal as a 16-year-old.
While Arsenal were always determined to keep Fabregas, it became clear this summer that the Spaniard - who made more than 300 appearances for the London club, scoring 57 goals - was no longer committed to their cause.
Barcelona saw a £27million offer rebuffed earlier in the summer, as Arsenal remained steadfast in their demands over a £40million fee.
However, with Barcelona not willing to significantly increase their cash bid, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitting the player was unsettled, the English club reluctantly have allowed a deal to go through.
Wenger expressed disappointment at Fabregas' departure.
"We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case," he said in a statement on Arsenal's website.
"However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his hometown club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona.
"We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success."
Fabregas had, according to Arsenal, been struggling for match fitness because of a hamstring injury which saw him miss the club's Far East tour and other pre-season games.
Wenger omitted his captain from the Emirates Cup pre-season tournament and the midfielder was not selected for Saturday's opening Barclays Premier League fixture at Newcastle.
Despite winning both the European Championship and World Cup with Spain, club success has not followed for the midfielder, who missed Arsenal's Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham at Wembley earlier this year through injury.- The Telegraph UK
Wannabe's statement
AT last, the saga has ended. The man who made us tick for many years is back to his home town after 8 years. The moment i read that he underwent medical at Nou Camp, All I've got to say is, Thank you.
For 8 years, he has been a great servant to Arsene Wenger and the team. His performances have been lauded by many football purist and losing him to our continental rivals would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Having lighted up the premier league for years. Fabragas's passes, intuitive movements and his ability to unlock defences have made managers' take notice of his presence. Having started early, he impressed in the Carling Cup as a 16 year old. As seasons went on, he became a linchpin for the team.
When Henry left, Fabregas was given the captain's armband at the tender age of 20. Many began to take notice of this young matador and since then he has carved a history in Arsenal.
Performances against Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United during his career with Arsenal will not be forgotten.
However, last season, the game against Barcelona was enough to show that the lad's heart is not with Arsenal. Yearning for a move to his hometown, the lad kept mum about his future and now, he is already confirmed for Barcelona.
Letting him go was fine as Arsenal wouldn't want to force a player to stay with them. However, the transfer fee for him was absymal!
15 million in advance and another 14 million to be added!! 29 million for him!! Utter rubbish! Here is the best part, if he wins titles with Barcelona, Arsenal will receive another 5 million. BBC might have said that 30 million pounds but from their sources that I've received 29 million pounds is the exact amount.
They got him on the cheap! I was thinking, why didn't Arsene demand a higher price? Isn't Gazidis doing his job as a CEO? Barcelona got themselves a bargain.
I'm livid with the transfer fee but It's all over. Barca-regas journey will continue in Nou Camp. With the guidance of Xavi and Iniesta, he is bound to improve and become a top class player for the Spanish National Football Team.
If I was at the Emirates right now, I would ask those questions to Wenger and Gazidis. It's just disappointing to see your captain living on the cheap!
Lastly, I can only say this...Gracias Fabregas and make sure you do well in your future undertakings(which is at Nou Camp)
Avinesh's verdict and Plea: To Wenger and Gazidis, don't ever repeat this mistake again and we shall move on with the other young stars in our squad. Ramsey, it's your time to shine mate...=)
No comments:
Post a Comment