Jose Mourinho is haggling with Barcelona in an attempt to deny Arsenal extra transfer funds.
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Not content with just bringing former Arsenal hero Cesc Fabregas to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is looking to structure a deal that denies the Gunners any windfalls from the clauses inserted into the transfer that took the midfielder to Barcelona.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Arsene Wenger’s side will be due 50% of any profit that the Catalan giants generate from the sale of Fabregas, with Mourinho now working to cut a deal that freezes Arsenal out.
The report claims that Barcelona originally paid Arsenal £25.4 million for the Spaniard, but add-on clauses that have since been activated have brought that total to more than £28m.
This means that Mourinho has instructed his club to work towards a deal of around £27m, which would deny Arsenal any unexpected funds to add onto a transfer budget at the Emirates Stadium that is already believed to be significant.
Despite this, however, the report also states that the fee is not thought to be a deal-breaker and that Mourinho would be keen to seal a deal for Fabregas even if it means handing some cash over to their rivals in North London.
Due to another clause in the original deal, Arsene Wenger had been given first refusal once Barcelona made the decision to allow the underperforming Fabregas to leave, but the Gunners have far more pressing concerns than in central midfield, an area where the squad is already well-stocked.
Fabregas originally arrived in England in 2003, when Arsenal lured him from the much vaunted La Masia academy with the promise of a quicker route to the first team. They delivered on their promise, with the Spanish international becoming a key player for the club whilst still a teenager before going on to captain the club.
He returned to the Nou Camp in 2011 after a protracted transfer in which players such as Xavi were keen to stress that Fabregas remained a part of Barcelona’s fabric despite choosing to leave the club. Despite initially impressing, however, Fabregas’ form has fallen off a cliff in the past two seasons and he has been earmarked by new manager Luis Enrique as a player who can be moved on to generate the funds required to give his side a much needed facelift.
Fabregas had been perpetually linked to Manchester United since rumours of his position at Barcelona began to surface last summer, but a poor season for the Red Devils coupled with the departure of David Moyes have seen Mourinho and Chelsea emerge as the most likely suitors.
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