Barcelona will bid if Fàbregas gives the nod

Barcelona will only inquire about Cesc Fàbregas if the player makes the first move and lets the Spanish club know that he would agree to a deal if an official bid was made.

The Catalan giants are not keen on causing controversy next summer or mirroring Real Madrid's ill-fated quest for Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming embroiled in a drawn-out transfer saga.

Fàbregas has been heavily linked with a move back to Camp Nou for the last two seasons but is only now beginning to show real signs that he fancies going back to the club where his career began.

A report by the News of the World last weekend claimed that he had admitted his disappointment at the lack of strength in the Arsenal squad and in the quality available in midfield.

While Fàbregas denied that and also dismissed reports that he had turned down the offer of a new contract, Sport now believes that an official offer from Barça could tempt him.

The Blaugrana though have made it clear that they would require an indication that a bid would be helped by the player's desire to move and that they would not be wasting their time.

The story on the front page of the Catalan daily says Fàbregas wants to change clubs in order to play for a team with higher aspirations as he does not believe that Arsenel has a realistic chance of success in Europe.

His friendship with such players at Barça as Gerard Piqué, Lionel Messi, Aliaksandr Hleb, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Thierry Henry and Andrés Iniesta is also a big attraction.

Barça's technical secretary Txiki Begiristain has been quoted in the past as stating that he would not want to make the first move for a player that opted to leave the Blaugrana.

But he would be willing to make a move if given a sign that a deal could be done and with the rumours already starting, it appears that Barcelona has unwittingly become involved in what could be a long-running transfer saga.