Arsenal are preparing to sell Cesc Fabregas for £50 million this summer. The Sunday Mirror says the 24-year-old may well be just one of a cluster of players to go, as manager Arsene Wenger looks to re-vamp his squad in his bid to end a drought of trophies that stretches back to May 2005 when Arsenal beat Manchester United in an FA Cup Final shoot-out.
Wenger persuaded Fabregas to stay last summer despite persistent overtures from Barcelona.
What the manager wants to avoid is yet another three months of speculation regarding his captain.
If Barcelona now come in with an offer for Fabregas that Arsenal find difficult to resist, and if the player makes it clear that he wants to return to his native Catalunya, Wenger is unlikely to stand in his way. He will use the cash to supplement his transfer kitty which is thought to be around £50m.
