It will bring to an end one of the longest-running transfer sagas in football, but also raise more questions over a youth policy at Arsenal that has always depended on keeping the club’s best players for the peak years of the careers.
Fabregas is expected to be followed out of Arsenal by Samir Nasri this week, with Manchester City ready to meet an asking price of £23 million.
Barcelona were last night claiming they will only have to pay €14.5 million up front for Fabregas, with a further €14.5 million to be paid in October. It is then understood that
€1 million will be released every year until the end of his contract in 2016.
Providing Fabregas wins one Champions League and two La Liga titles over the next five years, Arsenal will receive a further €6 million.
This takes the overall potential fee to €40 million (£35 million).
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