Barca not giving up on Cesc
03 Jul 2009 - 08:14:59
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is refusing to give up hope of prising Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal this summer.
Barca are keen to re-sign a player who came through their youth ranks before joining the Gunners as a 16 year old in 2003.
Fabregas has gone on to make over 225 first-team appearances for the Gunners and was handed the captain's armband last season.
However, Laporta still believes there is a chance that the Spain midfielder could be tempted back to the Camp Nou.
Speaking last week, Fabregas pledged his future to the Gunners after press reports suggested that he was growing tired of his club's failure to win silverware.
"Cesc Fabregas has the Barcelona DNA in his body and we know that he wants to play for this club," Laporta told Spanish radio.
"At the moment he is the leader at Arsenal and a very important player for them.
"But Cesc is wanted by me, by the coach Pep Guardiola and by the sport director Txiki Begiristain.
"We are concentrating all of our efforts on it, but at the same time we have a lot of respect for Arsenal.
"We have positive relations with Arsenal so it will not be an easy topic to talk to them about."