The current transfer window may still have 11 days to run, but already the rumour mill for next summer has cranked into action, with Cesc Fabregas being touted as a potential target for Barcelona in 2010.It is hardly unusual for modern-day transfers to be many months in the making. Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid was first touted three years ago and Sir Alex Ferguson's request to the Portuguese to tough it out at Manchester United for just 12 more months last summer was virtually an open secret.
This is, in part at least, down to the presidential system employed by Spanish clubs, whereby election contenders have to supply the name of a possible marquee signing to impress their would-be voters.
The quicker the likes of Sandro Rosell, who is desperate to take over from Joan Laporta at the Nou Camp next year, can convince his public that a vote for him is a vote for Fabregas, the better.
It is no surprise that Fabregas, as a former Barcelona trainee, should be on the club's shopping list: his name has been continually linked with a return to the club ever since he first started impressing at Arsenal.
That is one of the reasons why Arsene Wenger, the Gunners manager, will not be overly perturbed by the new round of rumour-mongering, although that is not to say he should not take it seriously.
As Real's pursuit of Ronaldo proved, La Liga's giants usually get their men in the end, even if they are forced to pay handsomely for the privilege, and Fabregas is not reported to be deterring his suitors from Catalonia.
Either way, it puts even more pressure on Arsenal to deliver something tangible this season. It would be much more difficult for Fabregas, who still has six years remaining on his contract at the Emirates Stadium, to justify seeking a move if the north Londoners ended their five-year league title drought this season or, even better, managed to wrestle the Champions League out of Barca's grasp.
The chances of either dream being realised might remain distant, but Wenger might have to turn them into reality if he is to keep hold of his Spanish talisman.
