Arsenal must fight Man Utd for Fabregas and Schar

The former Gunners captain could be offloaded by Barcelona this summer, sparking a Premier League scramble

Cesc Fabregas
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

IT COULD all end in tears and, no, we're not talking about another of John Terry's European adventures. Rather, the race to land Cesc Fabregas, which is hotting up as Metro claims that the two Manchester clubs have joined Arsenal in a bid to sign the Barcelona playmaker.

As we reported earlier in the week, the Gunners are toying with the idea of bringing back Fabregas into the Emirates fold, despite the fact he so shamelessly walked out on them three years ago. But now comes news that will cause a collective grimace among Gunners – Metro's claim that both Manchester clubs, City and United, are circling Fabregas with a view to a big-money summer offer. Apparently Barcelona's below par season means "the club is set for an overhaul" and Metro alleges that Fabregas is among those likely to be kicked out of the Camp Nou.

United sounded out the Catalans last year about the possibility of signing Fabregas, only to be knocked back, but it's believed they will try again in a few weeks' time. Meanwhile City boss Manuel Pellegrini wants to bolster his midfield and has Fabregas at the top of his shopping list.

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The Gunners will also have a fight on their hands if they want to land defender Fabian Schar, says Talksport. The Swiss blocker has seen his "stock soar" since moving to Basel in 2012, and Arsenal are just one of several clubs monitoring his progress. Old rivals Man United are also interested, along with Barcelona and Inter Milan.

Now it seems Lazio are also after he 22-year-old and will "test the Swiss club's resolve" with an offer, worth as much as £7m for his services this summer.

But even if Arsenal do miss out on re-signing Fabregas it looks increasingly like the Gunners will snare striker Loic Remy in the summer. The Frenchman is currently on loan from QPR at Newcastle, where he's netted 13 times, but it seems he won't be remaining in the north east beyond this month.

As to where he might end up, QPR boss Harry Redknapp told the Daily Star he was aware of rumours linking Remy to Arsenal. But asked if an official approach had been made, Harry acted dumb: "I don't know the answer to that... I think he must have a buyout clause. I would imagine he has a buyout clause but I don't know how much."

Rangers paid Marseille a club-record fee of £8m for Remy last season and recent rumours suggest that Arsenal are willing to pay £12m for the Frenchman, prompting Redknapp to admit: "I would think it'll be difficult to keep him but I don't know."

The Daily Mail says that Jose Mourinho will "raid Roman Abramovich's treasure chest" this summer in an attempt to stop John Terry's tears ahead of next season. The Chelsea defender broke down and wept after the Blues' exit from the Champions League on Wednesday, and now Mourinho wants to put a smile back on the hard man's face with some big name signings.

The Mail says that Mourinho wants at least three "global stars" to strengthen his squad, namely Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, Bayern Munich frontman Mario Mandzukic and Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint Germain. The Mail doesn't put a figure on the trio but Costa – who scored against Chelsea on Wednesday – has a £32m release clause and the other two won't come cheap either.

Finally, the Daily Mirror reports that Luis Suarez has given his biggest indication yet that he will back at Anfield next season, despite rumours to the contrary. The Uruguayan hitman has been linked with Real Madrid in recent days but the newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year had plenty to say on the gossip when he was interviewed by Uruguay television station Canal 10. "I'm very happy here and my family is happy here," replied Suarez when asked if he was thinking of swapping Merseyside for Madrid. Asked directly if he was going to leave Liverpool in the summer, Suarez had this message for the Kop: "Don't worry nothing is going to happen to me."

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Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.