Barcelona regret Arsenal’s ‘no’ to Fabregas move

Barcelona said Friday they were disappointed at Arsenal’s refusal to allow Cesc Fabregas to move back to the Nou Camp.

The Spain midfielder confirmed he would stay with the Gunners this season after the London club refused to countenance a move to the club where he started out as a teenager even though Barca were willing to pay a reported 48 million dollars for his signature.

“Barcelona regret the decision of Arsenal FC to declare the player not for sale and their decision not to take into consideration the offers proposed. None of those offers, in any way, exceeded 40 million euros,” the Catalan club said.

Fabregas, who is under contract at Arsenal until 2014, returned to training on Thursday after a lengthy break following Spain’s victorious World Cup campaign.

He was greeted warmly by 10,000 Arsenal supporters at a members’ day at the Emirates Stadium this week, with banners and chants making it clear how much they wanted the 23-year-old to stay.