Barca won't force Fab issue

Barcelona have reiterated that they will not adopt any underhand tactics in their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas.

The Catalan giants have vowed to lead a 'respectful' chase, insisting they will not seek to make contact with the player until a deal is struck with Arsenal.

At present such a situation seems a long way off, with the Gunners prepared to hold firm in their efforts to retain the services of their inspirational club captain.

Barca, though, could be about to test their resolve, with reports suggesting they are prepared to launch a bid of around Ј40million in an attempt to return Fabregas to his roots.

The Spain international has left the door open for a move to Camp Nou, recently admitting that he would relish the opportunity to rejoin Barca - the club he left for Arsenal while still in his teens.

However, Barcelona are not going to force the issue and technical secretary Txiki Begiristain insists they are prepared to bide their time in pursuit of the 23-year-old midfielder.

Contact

He told the club's official website : "The player has shown his will to come to Barca, but we will not do anything until Arsenal want to negotiate.

"We have the will of the player to come to Barcelona, but what we won't do is start to negotiate until an agreement is reached.

"Cesc has a contract with his club and we will be very respectful."

Barcelona have made initial contact with the Gunners, sounding out their stance, and Begiristain has revealed that they are waiting on a reply before taking the matter any further.

He told Marca : "As he has the will to return, we contacted Arsenal to ask them if they are ready to negotiate. We are waiting for an answer."

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