Barcelona are confident of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas returning to the club in the next 12 months.

Fabregas's future has been plunged into further doubt by claims from Spain that Arsenal have agreed to let him join Barcelona next summer.

The two clubs signed a pact and agreed a fee of between £25million and £30m for the 22-year-old midfielder before Arsenal's Champions League play-off defeat of Celtic, according to Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.

The deal would apparently be pushed through next week if the Gunners fail to see off the Scots, though that now seems unlikely.

Instead, Barca coach Pep Guardiola will have to wait until next season to welcome the one player he has asked his bosses to concentrate on signing since Zlatan Ibrahimovic was brought in from Inter Milan.