Arsenal opt out of Fabregas deal

Arsenal have informed Barcelona they will not be
exercising a buy-back option on former player
Cesc Fabregas.
The Gunners inserted the clause when selling
Fabregas to Barcelona for £35m in 2011 and
were given first refusal after Barca decided he
could leave.
It is understood Fabregas, 27, was keen to return
to Arsenal but manager Arsene Wenger is not
looking to recruit a creative midfielder.
The decision raises the prospect of the player
joining one of Arsenal's rivals.
Mesut Ozil arrived at Arsenal from Real Madrid
last summer for a club-record £42.4m on a five-
year contract, while the likes of Aaron Ramsey,
Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain and Tomas Rosicky are all part of
Wenger's plans.
Arsenal's priority is to bring in a striker to
compete with Olivier Giroud and a right-back to
replace Bacary Sagna, with goalkeeping cover
also needed after the exit of Lukasz Fabianski.
They may also look to sign a defensive midfielder
if the right deal is available but their stance over
Fabregas, who is available for £30m, means he is
now open to the market.
The Spaniard, who started his career at
Barcelona and still has two years of his existing
contract to run, has been linked with Chelsea
following the departure of Frank Lampard and his
future is expected to be decided in the next two
or three weeks.
On Thursday, his international team-mate Gerard
Pique was caught on camera apparently telling
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque that 'he
[Fabregas] told me that it is already done, he is
leaving already, 33m euros he said', but the pair
are thought to have been joking.
Fabregas was the subject of two unsuccessful
bids from Manchester United last summer and
told BBC Sport in February he was "flattered" by
their interest.
He is part of the Spain squad set to begin their
defence of the World Cup against the Netherlands
on 13 June.