Barcelona Will Not Be Deterred By the Comments of Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas has hinted he could be prepared to end his career with Arsenal, which represents a bold statement from the Spain international, who is still only 22.

His comments will be welcomed by Arsenal supporters, but is it realistic to expect Arsenal to keep their prized asset for the next decade?

It certainly seems unlikely, when even a clubs such as Manchester United cannot retain a hold on their best player when a Spanish giant comes calling.

Since making his debut in October 2003 against Rotherham in the League Cup, Fabregas has been motivated by his desire to land as many winners' medals as possible, but his trophy cabinet is rather lacking in domestic honours with only two medals from the FA Cup and Community Shield. And Barcelona are still on the scene.

Fabregas is Arsenal's captain and is enjoying the best start to a season during his career and those performances are attracting repeated links with his home town club of Barcelona.

Joan Laporta, the outgoing Barcelona president, has previously tried to sign the midfielder and Fabregas's capture will again form a large part of his re-election campaign, despite the player's insistence he is happy in the north London.

He told a news conference: "I do not think about it because I do not want to and I do not think I should. I am at a great club, with a great team and I am happy.

"We have a long season in front of us, and the last thing I want to do is get disconnected from what I have to do playing for Arsenal, who are the club which pays me. I am really looking forward to a great season."

Asked whether he could stay at Arsenal, Fabregas added: "Why not? I have never really thought about it, staying here all my life, because you never know what your career will bring. It is my seventh season now, I am really happy, better than ever, so you never know."

He is, of course, right about that. In football few things are certain, but we do know for sure that that Barcelona - and Real Madrid - are willing to lavish huge sums on players who will benefit their squads.

If Madrid's offer of £80m proved too tempting for Manchester United to sell Cristiano Ronaldo, what chance do Arsenal have of fending off rival bids?

The Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger has been assured of funds to spend on players while the club maintain they are on a solid financial footing, as they should be after selling Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to rivals Manchester City in the summer.

Wenger was particularly coy about the sales. At the time, he said: "This kind of process depends always on the players you sell, on the number of players you have behind, the overall quality of the squad and you do not want to go public too much why you make these decisions."

Should Barcelona come in with substantial offer for Fabregas, expect Arsenal to seriously consider it. So while Fabregas suggests he may be happy to stay at Arsenal for the remainder of his career, the final decision is unlikely to be his alone.