Man Utd insist on Fabregas

Posted Thursday, June 05, 2014 by Marca.com

It still isn't clear which team Cesc Fàbregas will be playing for next season. Both Chelsea and Manchester United are prepared to pay the player around €9 million per season, a bit higher than the figure being offered by Manchester City (8.5 million) and Arsenal (8), the other two clubs interested in signing him.

Of the two, Fàbregas would prefer to join Chelsea for personal and professional reasons. One of the main considerations being the chance to play in the Champions League next year, as Man Utd failed to qualify and will have to sit the competition out for at least one season.

Furthermore, Frank Lampard has decided to end his footballing career in New York, leaving the door wide open to the possibility of Fàbregas playing in his usual position and becoming a regular in the Chelsea first team, something that Barcelona are unable to promise .

Nevertheless, Barcelona would prefer it if Fàbregas didn't end up at Chelsea as the Catalan club is reluctant to help strengthen a direct rival in their bid to win next year's Champions League.

Then there is the question of money. Louis van Gaal's new team are willing to fork out around €43 million for Fàbregas, three million more than what Chelsea are offering. And Barça badly need to fill their coffers if the club is to make any new signings of their own.