The Spanish star has been strongly linked with a move back to the Nou Camp having left the Catalan capital as a teenager to join Arsenal.

Since moving to north London as a 16-year-old Fabregas has gone on to make a huge name for himself, staring for the Gunners season after season.

However, in that time the 23-year-old has just one winners medal to show for his efforts, helping Arsenal claim the 2005 FA Cup on penalties.

Having helped Spain win the European Championships, and recently the World Cup, Fabregas’ stock has shot through the roof, leading to Barcelona making a £30million bid for the playmaker.

However, Arsenal were quick to turn down the offer, claiming the midfielder wasn?t for sale no matter the price.

Despite the player’s pleas to be allowed to re-join Barcelona (4/5 Primera Liga winners)  Arsenal have stood firm and now look as though they may have succeeded in warning off the Spanish giants.

Barca president Rosell has admitted they may be unable to sign Fabregas this season and has hinted they may give up on their pursuit.

“Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca,” said Rosell to Catalan TV3.

“They don’t want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player (Fabregas) on the market.

“There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it.”

Barcelona’s admission could also stem from their current financial plight, the club having to take out a 155m euro loan to help ease their recent money troubles.

However, Rosell went on to say that he was confident that one day Fabregas would come back to the Nou Camp.

“He (Fabregas) will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year,” added Rosell. “We will see.”

Arsenal fans will now hope Fabregas (50/1 Premier League topscorer) will focus his attention on the Gunners domestic and European campaigns rather than pine for a move back to Barcelona.

The Gunners begin their pre-season fixtures on Saturday against Barnet (11/1 to beat Arsenal) before they head to Austria for their usual training camp.

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England

The newest release of the standings from the governing body of football show that Fabio Capello’s men have climbed from eighth to seventh – despite the fact they managed only one win and two draws at the World Cup.

Germany (5/1 to win Euro 2012 outright), who overcame England 4-1 in the second round in South Africa and finished in third place in the World Cup, are now ranked as the fourth best team, a rise of two places on their previous position.

Following their World Cup win, Spain (7/2 to win) have replaced Brazil at the top of the Fifa world rankings.

England could take some solace following their World Cup showing in that they have risen, whereas two other teams that disappointed in South Africa have plummeted down the Fifa rankings.

The former World Cup winners France and Italy (12/1 and 9/1 to win Euro 2012), who both failed to get out of the group stage, have slipped 12 and six places respectively in the standings to 21st and 11th.

England could class themselves lucky that their performances in South Africa did not result in them dropping down the list, especially as the latest release of the world rankings comes a day after a separate Fifa report showed it was officially the Three Lions’ worst World Cup performance in history.

Capello’s side were ranked 13th out of the 32 teams competing in South Africa, which beat their previous worst of 11th in 1958.

This ranking was also topped by Spain, with the top four positions mirroring the final tournament finishes so Holland, Germany and Uruguay took the next three slots.

England suffered the embarrassment of finishing behind the likes of Japan and Chile in the standings, and Fifa president Sepp Blatter stated he could not understand why the national team failed to perform in South Africa.

He said: “You will have to ask the Football Association.

“England is considered as being the motherland of football, as Brazil is the heartbeat of football, but there are no small national teams any more.

“There are small countries but their national teams are very strong as football has developed.”

One member of the England World Cup squad who thinks the situation is not all bad is Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.

He scored against Slovenia in South Africa and has told Sky Sports that he thinks the current squad are good enough to still be competing at the 2014 World Cup and Capello remains “definitely the right man” for the England job.

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Paraguay’s

Kevin Doyle and Liam Lawrence were on target for the Irish, before Lucas Barrios reduced the arrears 13 minutes into the second half.

Ireland would have been going to the World Cup themselves, but for France’s controversial goal in their qualification play-off.

And they showed that they were worthy of making it to South Africa with an assured performance which left the Paraguayans with plenty to think about before they board the plane to South Africa. The World Cup betting suggests they should make it out of their group, but they could be in for a tough time.

The South Americans had plenty of the ball in the first half but could not break down their hosts until the final seconds of the half.

Midfielder Cristian Riveros, who has signed for Sunderland, was instrumental in much of Paraguay’s best moves but they rarely managed to get sight of goal.

Ireland had Roque Santa Cruz (100/1 – World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer) to thank for their opening goal after seven minutes.

Damien Duff and Lawrence worked a free-kick move before Duff delivered the ball into the box, where defender Paul McShane attempted and failed to execute an overhead kick.

But the ball reared up off the turf and Santa Cruz instinctively headed it on to his own crossbar, allowing Doyle to pounce on the rebound and score.

Paraguay might have hit back within two minutes but midfielder Jonathan Santana’s rising shot sailed over Keiren Westwood’s crossbar.

Ireland went 2-0 up when Doyle chested down Stephen Kelly’s cross to Lawrence, who thumped it past goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla with the help of a deflection off defender Denis Caniza.

Westwood was called on for the first time in injury time when he tipped Antolin Alcaraz’s speculative effort around the post, but he was otherwise untroubled.

Ireland might have killed the game off within minutes of the restart after creating two good chances in quick succession. Doyle saw his left foot shot on the turn test Bobadilla, then the keeper blocked a shot from Duff.

The South Americans halved the deficit when Gamarra and Claudio Morel played their way around McShane for Gamarra to slide a pass to Barrios, who sent it right-footed past Westwood.

Both managers made changes as Trapattoni handed senior international debuts to Cillian Sheridan, Paul Green and Keith Fahey, while opposite number Gerardo Martino dispensed with three-quarters of his starting midfield.

In the meantime, Westwood was grateful to see Gamarra’s teasing 70th-minute cross run harmlessly out of play and Lawrence intercept substitute Aureliano Torres’ superb pass to Gamarra with the visitors making a late push.

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