Having successfully tipped David Villa to join Atletico Madrid at 10/1 a few weeks back, our Spanish expert Phil Kitromilides takes a look at the market on Fabregas’ future
Two years after he left Arsenal to return to his homeland of Catalonia, Cesc Fabgregas’ future is once more in the spotlight.
Things have not necessarily gone as the midfielder might have hoped on his return and though in two seasons at the Camp Nou he has won the Copa del Rey and La Liga, a large section of the Blaugrana faithful remain unconvinced by his contribution.
Reports suggest that Manchester United have made a bid to try and tempt the 26-year-old midfielder back to England and unsurprisingly the champions currently lead the way in the betting when it comes to Fabregas’ club on September 1.
BetVictor price United at 1/4 (1.25) to have acquired Fabregas’ services, which surely looks too short to even consider for two very strong reasons.
The first and most prescient being that Barcelona are extremely unlikely to sell Fabregas and certainly not for the figures currently being quoted.
Having lost Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich this week, it would be a PR disaster for the Spanish champions to let another world class La Masia graduate depart, not to mention leave their midfield lacking in the depth needed to compete seriously on three fronts.
The second reason why backing a move to United seems unwise is that Arsenal are understood to have first refusal on Fabregas should he leave the Catalans.
Surely a return to the club where he matured and became revered would hold more sway for the man who has on more than one occasion publicly professed his love for Arsenal.
The Gunners can be backed at 7/2 (4.50) to re-sign Fabregas and while this also looks unlikely, it is certainly a smarter bet than backing United.
Also available in BetVictor’s book are the Gallic nouveau riche pretenders of Monaco at 33/1 (34.00), Chelsea at 40/1 (40.00) and two unthinkable destinations in Real Madrid and Tottenham both at 66/1 (67.00).
It should be stressed, however, that the most likely scenario is that Fabregas continues at the Camp Nou.
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Phil Kitromilides is a sports journalist and TV presenter in Madrid