Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has revealed that midfielder Cesc Fabregas will not be leaving the club this summer and that Manchester United have given up in their pursuit of him. The Barcelona executive believes that Manchester United have accepted Barcelona's resolution against selling the player.
"Manchester United are interested in the player, but it's also true that they understand our position of not wanting to sell," Zubizarreta was quoted saying on ESPN FC. "They have renounced his signing. We aren't going to sell him."
Zubizarreta went on to praise Fabregas' ability, insisting that the club has the player in their plans for years to come.
"He has a contract with us," Zubizarreta told Barcelona's official website. "We count on Cesc."
Fabregas scored twice in new coach Tata Martino's first game as manager of the club against Santos. The Catalans finished 8-0 victors. Fabregas started the game on the bench but was impressive after coming on in the second half.
"I said that on the day of the presentation of Tito [Vilanova] and also with Tata [Martino]," Zubizarreta continued. "He's an extraordinary player who creates and finishes chances. We are delighted with him. He's the No. 4 of Barca."
With Barcelona already having sold Thiago Alcantara, who also attracted interest from Manchester United, to Bayern Munich this summer, it is unlikely that they would let go another of their center midfield players.
For David Moyes and the Manchester club, this confirms that they will miss out on yet another target. With 20-year-old full-back Guillermo Varela their only signing of the summer so far, the new management is raising concerns among the fanbase over their ability to keep the squad competitive. Thankfully for Moyes, the squad left to him by Sir Alex Ferguson was already considerably high in quality.
