Gunners slap whopping price on Cesc’s head

Arsenal on Monday slapped a whopping £80m price tag on inspirational midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The move is seen as a bid to see off Barcelona, who want to snap up the Spanish international before the start of the World Cup. However, the La Liga champions were hoping to land Fabregas for as little as £30m, which is some way short of the Gunners valuation. "This could go all the way to August 31 and it won't help anyone,” commented an Arsenal source. "The 'will he, won't he' situation could be similar to the one we had with Patrick Vieira almost every summer until he went to Juventus. But of course the consequences of a late deal could be serious, particularly for Arsenal. Their planning for the season will be compromised since there will not be time to find and, more importantly, bed in a replacement."