Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea: Arsenal could be cut out of deal as Chelsea attempt to structure £27m transfer for midfielder

Chelsea are attempting to structure a deal with Barcelona for midfielder Cesc Fabregas that would cut Arsenal out of any financial profit should their former captain leave the Nou Camp this summer.

Barcelona completed their long pursuit of Fabregas in 2011 when they signed the Spanish international for an initial £25.4m, although the finer details of the move mean his Premier League exit is a lot more complex than it seems.

Arsenal have a clause in his contract that not only allows them to match any accepted fee for Fabregas, but also one that will result in them receiving 50 per cent of any profit made on his sale. Fabregas himself has also paid £880,000 for each year of his contract to the north London club.

However, Arsenal have so far missed out on an additional £4.4m which would have been paid had the 27-year-old secured two La Liga titles and a Champions League winners’ medal with Barcelona, with Fabregas only experiencing one Spanish Primera Division title during his three years with his hometown club, as well as a Copa del Rey crown in 2011-12.

With all add-ons taken into account, the Fabregas transfer worked out at just over £28m, and with Barcelona demanding £30m from clubs interested in the creative midfielder, the Gunners are set to receive a further windfall from his departure.

Arsenal have shown that their intention is to stay out of the race for Fabregas, with manager Arsene Wenger convinced he has enough options available in the midfield of his current squad that shelling out for the player he first signed in 2004 is not worth the fee.

However, Chelsea are reportedly attempting to complete a deal that would cosy around £27m, and thus result in their London rivals missing out on any further bonus from the move. It shows that the Blues still consider Arsenal as a fierce rival, with the two sides separated by just three points in last season’s Premier League table – although the 6-0 drubbing at Stamford Bridge will haunt the Gunners for years to come.

The perception that Arsenal are on the rise goes back to last summer when Wenger looked to secure Chelsea striker Demba Ba on loan, only for his £42.5m capture of Mesut Özil to change Jose Mourinho’s mind on allowing Ba to leave given that he considered Arsenal a threat with the Germany midfielder in their ranks.

As a result, Chelsea demanded a large loan fee that Arsenal refused to meet, and the Senegalese striker went on to feature sparingly for the Blues throughout the season.

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While Chelsea would prefer to tie-up the deal sooner rather than later, their priority remains completing the £32m move for Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa before the World Cup begins on Thursday. The Brazilian-born Spain striker managed 74 minutes on his return from injury in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over El Salvador.

Having already passed a medical after they activated his release clause, Costa admitted that it looked like he would be playing for Chelsea next season, although the deal is yet to be announced as they continue to negotiate personal terms.