Zubizarreta: We weren't able to negotiate for Fabregas

Barcelona technical director Andoni Zubizarreta has said that his club were not able to even open negotiations with Arsenal over the potential transfer of midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Zubizarreta revealed that the highest bid from the Catalan club was €40 million, but even this was rejected by Arsenal.

The media propaganda that went on during the summer put a heavy strain on ties between the two clubs, with Barca's players showing no respect towards Arsenal.

But Zubizarreta hints that relations have been repaired due to the continuing dialog between the two clubs, though there has been no news on whether the likes of Carlos Puyol will be disciplined for forcing a Barca shirt on Fabregas during Spain's World Cup celebrations in Madrid.

Zubizarreta said: "Both the club and the player did as much as possible.

"Our second offer was €40 million. From the moment Arsenal said they didn't want to negotiate, we respected their position.

"We would have liked to have signed him, but we weren't able to negotiate. It wasn't a disappointment - it was simply impossible.

Thanks to the conversations, we have re-established contact with Arsenal."

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