Cesc Fabregas has completed his transfer to Chelsea from Barcelona, the Spain midfielder has announced in a statement.
The
27-year-old is currently in Brazil with the national squad but has put
pen to paper on a deal that sees him return to England after leaving
Arsenal for the Nou Camp in 2011.
He is believed to have signed a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £30million.
With
Barcelona having failed to win any silverware last season and the
appointment of Luis Enrique as the new head coach, Fabregas was allowed
to leave Spain and he revealed that Chelsea was his preferred option
from those who had made their interest known.
“I considered all the other offers very carefully and I firmly believe that Chelsea is the best choice,” he said.
“They
match my footballing ambitions with their hunger and desire to win
trophies. They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible
manager. I am fully committed to this team and I can’t wait to start
playing.”
Fabregas became a household name in England after
developing into a first-team regular at Arsenal and eventually becoming
captain.
He joined the Gunners from Barcelona’s youth set-up but,
despite earning plaudits for his ability, he only ever lifted the FA Cup
during his first stay in England.
Now he returns with London rivals Chelsea after confirming Arsenal had not taken up their option to re-sign him.
“Firstly I would like to thank everyone at FC Barcelona where I enjoyed three wonderful years,” he said. “It was my childhood club and I will always be proud and honoured that I had a chance to play for such a great team.
“I do feel that I have unfinished business in the Premier League and now is the right time for me to return.
“Yes,
everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me. They
decided not to take this option and therefore it wasn’t meant to be. I
wish them well in the future.”
With fellow Spaniards Xavi and
Andreas Iniesta for competition, Fabregas broke into the Barcelona side
and ended his first season with four winners’ medals before picking up
the first league title of his career the following year.
He was the
subject of interest from Manchester United last summer when then-manager
David Moyes confirmed the Red Devils had approached Barcelona in the
hope of concluding a deal.
The signing will be seen as perfect timing
for Chelsea following the end of Frank Lampard’s long affiliation with
the club and he becomes the first addition to Jose Mourinho’s squad as
the Portuguese looks to improve on last year’s trophyless campaign.
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