Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is remaining coy on his club future following Spain’s World Cup triumph on Sunday.

His value no doubt soared after he was brought on as a substitute in the late stages of Spain’s decider against Holland to help seal World Cup victory for his international side.

After the 23-year-old had tested Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenberg, he then made a cushioned pass to Andres Iniesta to set up the extra-time winner.

Fabregas, who has five years remaining on his contract with Arsenal, has been strongly linked with a move back to his boyhood club Barcelona, with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger having already turned down a €35 million offer for the midfielder.

But the Gunners skipper, who has expressed his desire to make a Camp Nou comeback, is keeping coy about whether the switch will materialise.

“All I can say is that this (World Cup victory) is for all the Arsenal players and fans, they are a world-class club,” Fabregas said after Spain’s 1-0 victory.

“I am an Arsenal player and proud to be.”

Arsenal have confirmed their opening offer for Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has been knocked back by the Cottagers.

The Australia played a key role in his side’s progression to the Europa League final last season and obviously caught the eye of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger who is looking for a safe pair of hands.

Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski both made errors last term as the north Londoners again ended up without any silverware.

However, Wenger will have to increase his valuation of former Middlesbrough stalwart Schwarzer.

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood told the Daily Star: “We have made an enquiry for him and they are not prepared to sell him so we have gone away.
“We can only hope they will change their minds, but at the moment it doesn’t look like it.”

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas have both been linked with a possible move to Real Madrid, following comments from Real president Florentino Perez.

The Bernabeu chief managed to secure the signature of Jose Mourinho as coach following his exit from Inter Milan and is now looking to build a team capable of challenging Barcelona, both domestically and in Europe.

A number of names have been linked with the Spanish giants following Mourinho’s appointment with the Portuguese tactician known to be a big admirer of Chelsea star Frank Lampard.

He has a wide range of knowledge of the English game following his spell in charge at Stamford Bridge and has made it clear how much he enjoys English football and the Premier League players in general.

Whether or not Mourinho does turn his attentions to England to strengthen his squad is open to question, but Perez is clearly a big fan of both Gerrard and Fabregas and would back his manager’s attempts to lure them to La Liga.

He said: “We have no decision yet and all I can say is that both players are among the best in his position.”

Gerrard’s future at Anfield is now uncertain following the exit of manager Rafael Benitez and he is constantly being linked with a move away from Merseyside.

The England World Cup skipper has been loyal to the Reds to date but, with change in the air at his club, it may be that a new challenge is what he needs to keep going at the top of his game.

Xavi has insisted “it is clear” Spain team-mate Cesc Fabregas will join him at Barcelona next season.

Fabregas, who left Barca for Arsenal in 2003, has made no secret of his desire to re-join the Spanish champions.

It is understood the 23-year-old has already told Gunners manager Arsene Wenger he wants to return to the Nou Camp.

The north Londoners have insisted they will not allow their influential captain to leave, but Xavi believes it is only a matter of time before Fabregas joins Pep Guardiola’s side.

“Yes, certainly,” said Xavi in Sport, when asked if he expected to play alongside Fabregas next season. “And it also had to be like this.

“He has also expressed publicly that he wants to come to Barcelona and when a player wants to move to some place he ends up going. It is clear that Cesc will come to Barcelona.”

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini insists Emmanuel Adebayor is going nowhere this summer, and says the player has a big future at the club.

The former Arsenal striker has been linked with a move to AC Milan after just one season at Eastlands, with several top-name strikers thought to be on Mancini’s wish-list this summer.

City are reportedly in negotiations to sign Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko but the manger insists, whatever business he does in the transfer market over the coming months, the Togo international will not be leaving the club.

“It is important to remember the squad we have is improving and most of the players have not been here for a long time,” he told the club’s website. “City supporters do not need to be worried about us losing our best players.

“In fact, the club has had no offers from any club for any of our players. In Emmanuel’s case, he is a top player who can score lots of goals for Manchester City. I know he can improve and I am looking forward to working with him in pre-season.”

Other names linked with a move to the City of Manchester Stadium are AC Milan’s Alexandre Pato and Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovc and, with the resources available, it is likely that City will be linked with several more before the new season starts.

Mancini has made it clear that he will only buy players who he believes will improve the team and warned the City faithful not to expect too many new faces when the Premiership campaign gets underway in August.

Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas admits his future is out of his hands and makes no guarantee he will be sticking with the Gunners next season.

Fabregas is understood to have told the Gunners last week that he wants to secure a move back to old club Barcelona over the summer.

While the Catalans have made contact with Arsenal regarding the midfielder, Fabregas admits he does not know where he will be playing next term.

The Spanish international made no guarantees he would be a Gunner and he is instead focusing on helping his country win the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

“I had a long conversation with Arsene [Wenger], it was probably the greatest conversation I’ve had with someone in my life and I respect him so much and I don’t want to say too much about this,” Fabregas said.

“He told me to concentrate on my football, he told me to concentrate on the World Cup, he told me to leave it in his hands, he will deal with whatever happens in my future and that’s what I’m doing, just concentrating on football.”

Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has confirmed he has spoken to manager Neil Lennon about a summer move to Celtic.

The 35-year-old revealed he is a long way from agreeing to join the Glasgow giants but was impressed by interim boss Lennon.

Campbell told the Scottish Sun: “I’ve spoken with Neil about moving to Celtic. And I’ve been impressed with what he had to say.

“We’re talking, although we haven’t yet discussed figures. Nothing is set in stone.”

The former England international has also been offered a new one-year contract by Arsenal but has not reached any decision on his future.

Campbell said Lennon had told him he wants to bring in a senior professional to give guidance to the younger players at Parkhead and said a move north of the border was “a serious possibility”.

He also revealed he was considering offers from other clubs in the event that his future at the Emirates is not resolved.

He added: “Neil clearly understands what’s needed at Celtic and I appreciate his interest. But we’ve still got to properly negotiate and the figures might not stack up.

“Celtic is a serious possibility, but I am also talking to a few other clubs. I’m also giving Arsenal the respect they deserve. If the situation at Arsenal doesn’t resolve itself I know how interested Celtic are. And, yes, I’m seriously considering it.”

Switzerland centre-half and free agent Philippe Senderos is hoping the World Cup in South Africa next month will allow him to showcase his talents to potential suitors.

He has spent the last seven years with Arsenal, having joined the Gunners as a highly-rated teenager in 2003.

However, Senderos struggled to make the desired impact at Emirates Stadium, and was unable to hold down a first-team place with the Gunners.

He was loaned out to AC Milan in 2008 and spent the second half of the 2009/10 campaign with Everton.

The 25-year-old had hoped that such moves would allow him to secure a permanent move away from Arsenal, but he was left frustrated on each occasion.

Vice-president Rafael Yuste has indicated Barcelona are struggling to reach an agreement with Arsenal about signing captain Cesc Fabregas.

Yuste also revealed the Catalan giants have opened talks with La Liga rivals Valencia bout signing highly-rated Spain striker David Villa.

He told Catalonian radio station Ona FM: “Negotiations are progressing well especially in the case of Villa.”

The Spanish champions hope the captures of international team-mates Villa and Fabregas will go some way to helping Barca win back the Champions League.

Fabregas, who left the Nou Camp as a teenager to move to north London, said recently he wanted his future sorted out before the start of the World Cup on June 11.

Yuste suggested there was still some way to go before Barca were in a position to announce his signing.

He added: “The situation with Cesc is different because even if you have the will of the player it is very important to talk to his club and, if you can, find an agreement.

“But what makes it easier is that both players want to come to Barca.”

Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has admitted that William Gallas is not the most popular figure in the Arsenal dressing room.

Gallas moved to the Emirates from Chelsea back in 2006 after a five-year stint at Stamford Bridge and has made more than 100 appearances for the Gunners.

Compatriot Nasri, who joined the north Londoners back in 2008 from Marseille, has not been selected in the France World Cup squad, while Gallas has been included in Raymond Domenech’s preliminary 30-man squad.

Whether or not that has anything to do with Nasri’s outburst is open to question but the 22-year-old, along with other members of Arsene Wenger’s squad, clearly has a problem with Gallas.

“I don’t communicate with him, but I’m not the only one at Arsenal who doesn’t have any communication with him,” he told the Sun. “We are four or five, but that doesn’t stop us fighting for each other on the pitch.”

However, the talented midfielder was quick to point out that relations in the dressing room have no bearing on what happens once the players cross the white line onto the playing surface.

“You don’t get 11 friends in a football team, there are people who have affinities and who get on, but on the pitch we fight for the same cause,” he added.

Arsenal finished third in the Premiership this season despite the loss of a few high-profile players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and questions will be raised as to whether player relations is the reason why Arsenal struggle to keep hold of some of their best players, with Cesc Fabregas the latest to be linked with a move away from the club.