Cesc Fabregas wanted by Barcelona and Real Madrid

Cesc Fabregas found himself at the centre of a potential bidding war between Barcelona and Real Madrid last night - despite pledging his future to Arsenal.

Gunners skipper Fabregas is on holiday in New York after his Confederations Cup exertions for Spain.

But while Fabregas has gone out of his way to insist he has no interest in breaking his Arsenal contract, that will not prevent the two La Liga giants going head to head to entice him away.

Barca president Joan Laporta led the charge as he hinted at a £40million bid for the midfielder when he admitted the Nou Camp side will miss out on winger Franck Ribery.

Laporta, who is closing in on Valencia's David Villa, said: "Ribery was a player we were interested in at a logical price but Bayern don't want to sell.

"If they are interested in selling, we are interested in buying but if not, then we will look

to Fabregas.

"Compared to him there is no available alternative left in the market, so we will see what happens.

"But after last season we only need small adjustments - a left back, a central defender, a midfielder and a forward."

Laporta's open desire to land Fabregas will infuriate Gunners chief Arsene Wenger but the Frenchman will be equally annoyed by Real's covetous glances towards the midfielder, with emissaries of president Florentino Perez insisting the Bernebeu outfit are also interested.

Arsenal have insisted Fabregas is not for sale, with the player himself understood to be reluctant to break his contract, feeling that would be a betrayal of Wenger and Arsenal.

The Emirates board put itself under additional pressure on Wednesday when it dismissed the £100m cash injection offered by Russian billionaire and second-largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov.

But the Catalan ace, plucked by Wenger from the Nou Camp youth ranks in 2003, has not hidden his long-term affection for the European champions.

And Barca believe that if they made a full-out bid that Arsenal were willing to consider,

Fabregas would use that as the green light to ask to be allowed to join Pep Guardiola's side.

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