Real Madrid and Barcelona are ready to pounce after the FA slapped Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas with two charges yesterday.

The Daily Mail says the Spain midfielder has constantly been linked with a return to Barca, where he came through the ranks before joining Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, and has rarely chosen to dampen speculation.

But he is also on a short list of midfielders wanted by Florentino Perez, who is expected to be elected president of Real Madrid in the summer with a commitment to splashing the cash.

Reports in Spain said that Fabregas was stunned by his treatment and the media attention that resulted from his antics after Arsenal's defeat of Hull in the FA Cup last month.