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Barca 'respect' Arsenal's decision not to sell Cesc

Cesc Fabregas may be staying at the Emirates after all © Getty Images

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Barcelona sporting vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the Spanish champions "respect" Arsenal's wish not to sell Cesc Fabregas and insists there is no dialogue between the two clubs at present.

Barcelona failed with a €35 million offer for their academy graduate earlier this summer and, whether through club officials or players, had consistently voiced the opinion that a deal will be done for Fabregas, who has told Arsene Wenger he wants to return to Camp Nou.

But Barca's bullish approach to the Fabregas deal under former president Joan Laporta was not viewed favourably by Arsenal and his successor, Sandro Rosell, has adopted a more conciliatory tone. Rosell recently admitted that a deal may be unlikely this summer, even if he remains convinced Fabregas will join the club within 12 months.

The Catalan press reported on Friday that Fabregas will again inform Wenger of his desire to leave, having returned to London following a holiday in Greece, but Bartomeu has suggested that with Arsenal still refusing to negotiate, Barca do not expect a transfer to happen before the close of the summer transfer window.

"Both [sporting director] Andoni Zubizarreta and coach Pep Guardiola want Fabregas, but it is very difficult to return to an improved relationship with Arsenal," Bartomeu told Sport.

"We talked to the club and they told us that Fabregas was non-transferable. And there are no imminent negotiations in place because they do not want to sell. We would like very much that the relationship between Fabregas and his manager, Arsene Wenger, return to normal. And we respect Arsenal's decision not to sell."

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