Wenger tells Fabregas to stay and win title

Arsene Wenger has told unsettled captain Cesc Fabregas to forget about a dream move to Barcelona and focus on helping Arsenal win the Premier League.

Wenger is determined to keep Fabregas even though the Spain midfielder has made it clear he would love to return to the club he left to join Arsenal as a teenager.

Barca have gone public with their interest in Fabregas and are willing to pay around 30 million pounds (36 million euros) to sign the 23-year-old, leaving Wenger with the possibility of having an unhappy player on his hands if the transfer doesn’t happen.

Fabregas is not scheduled to return to England until after this weekend’s Emirates Cup as he was given extra time off following the World Cup final, but Wenger is confident he will still be with Arsenal when the transfer window closes at the end of August.

And he believes the prospect of leading Arsenal to a first league title since 2004 will inspire Fabregas to forget Barca and play at his best in the coming campaign.

“I always said Cesc Fabregas will be our captain next year and that we want to keep him. Despite all the speculation last season and the whole summer, nothing has changed,” Wenger said on Friday.

“Look at the length of his contract and you will see he has five or six years to go.

“When you sign a contract it means we are committed to a player to pay him and keep him no matter what happens.

“It is important we focus on the targets we have together. There is a great attitude and spirit inside the squad and Cesc Fabregas can help us achieve these targets.

“He is now at an age, 23 years old, and he has just won the World Cup. I believe he will grow in authority again for next season.

“The biggest achievement for him now is to help us win the championship.”

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol, an international team-mate of Fabregas, claimed this week that Arsenal are trying to keep hold of the player against his will.

But Wenger has made it clear to the Spanish champions that there is no chance he will change his mind about selling his prize asset.

“We do not negotiate. If I want to buy your house and you do not want to sell, you do not negotiate with me, that is completely normal,” Wenger added.

“There are all kinds of situations, but I believe what happens after is that when a player stays it is about how much he is focused on playing football.

“It is always in the interests of the player to perform. If he is a champion, he goes on the football pitch and wants to be the best he can. All the rest is a poor excuse for a football player.”