LONDON, Greater London: Manchester United have made a £25m ($37.7m, €28.9m) offer for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, reports in the British media suggested yesterday.
Sky Sports News television, the BBC and the domestic Press Association news agency all said that the English Premier League champions were interested in signing the Spanish international.
The Press Association said that an offer had been submitted for the player, who came through Barcelona’s youth academy before joining Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003. A report in the The Mirror, stated that club officials have confirmed the offer, who are on a pre-season tour in Sydney.
Sky Sports News, however, said a potential stumbling block could be a clause in Fabregas’ contract that Arsenal have first refusal should he decide to leave the Camp Nou.
Barcelona said they had no comment to make when contacted.
If completed the Fabregas move would represent new manager David Moyes’ first major signing since the former Everton boss succeeded Alex Ferguson during the close season.
The reported figure is understood to be below the valuation, the three-time Champions League winners want, who began his career with the Spanish club.
United, have the cash to allow Moyes to chase “a stellar player” before the start of the upcoming season, the club’s chief executive Ed Woodward was quoted as telling British media on Sunday.
According to Woodward, the Old Trafford club are “absolutely” able to compete for players in the £60m to £70m bracket.
News of a potential offer for Fabregas emerged a day after confirmation that Barcelona had sold Spain Under-21 captain Thiago Alcantara to European champions Bayern Munich. The loss of Alcantara will boost Fabregas’ chances of playing more matches at the Nou Camp but remains to be seen whether the Spanish club will accept the offer.
Fabregas graduated to become the Gunners’ captain and one of their most influential players before returning to Barca in a £25.4m, five-year deal in August 2011.
Since then he has helped the Catalan giants claim the Copa del Rey in 2011-2012 and La Liga in 2012-13.
In a interview with Spanish newspaper Marca last month, the Spaniard had said he was happy to be at Barcelona.
He said: “It has taken a lot for me to get where I am, and I am not thinking about throwing it all away for nothing.”
He added: “If they (Barcelona) said that they didn’t want me, that would be another thing. But what I really want it to triumph at Barca. That has been my dream since I was small. Barcelona is my home, and I have always dreamed of triumphing here.”
AFP/THE PENINSULA
