Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Don't Expect Cesc Fabregas Deal by Weekend

Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas saga has quickly become one of the biggest story lines of the summer and with good reason. 

After all, when an eminently talented midfielder with a penchant for the dramatic becomes the subject of an annual bid to grab his services by the club he played for as a youth, things tend to get heated. Barcelona have been bidding on Fabregas for months now, and their chase of the 24-year-old midfielder has taken turns in the ridiculous with little progress being made for much of this summer's hunt.

Many hoped that the end of the saga was near last week when the Catalan juggernauts sent a delegation to London to end the drama once and for all. Or, at least, that was the plan. 

While no deal has been struck as of yet and no actual progress has been reported by the Gunners or the Spanish club, it hasn't stopped Barca from showing serious confidence in their ability to seal the deal in the near future. 

In fact, club Vice President Josep Bartomeu told reporters that he felt a deal would be done by the end of the week to bring the prodigal prodigy back to the Nou Camp.

Per Bartomeu, according to Mirror Football:

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"As he unveiled Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez as the European champions' new signing, Bartomeu said: 'It is a sure thing that we will make one more signing. Sanchez was always our number one target. Fabregas was always number two. We are discreet and prefer not to talk about signings, but we have time until August 30 to make sure some things happen and I can tell you they will. The negotiations are going the way they are going. We will do what we have the time to do and the money to make it happen, although it is true that there is a budget constraint we have to work under.'"

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But while Bartomeu has told manager Pep Guardiola that he should expect Fabregas to be in the fold before the week is out, don't bet on it happening. 

While Bartomeu continues to talk up the deal as being imminent or coming right over the horizon, he hasn't actually given anyone any kind of details of just what has been negotiated. His comments on the situation have been general and vague and he has yet to indicate that anything else has actually been done to bring Fabregas to the Nou Camp. 

On top of that, Wenger seems to be getting increasingly displeased with the negotiations. He's mentioned how irritated he's become with other clubs discussing his players' futures with the Gunners and has asked that tapping-up laws be reviewed, according to ESPN.

Wenger can't be pleased by Bartomeu's constant updates, particularly because it's unclear just how much progress is actually being made to get a deal done. The Frenchman tends to prefer to deal in private and doesn't like it much when people publicly discuss his negotiations. 

The fact is, there's no real pressure for Wenger to sell here. He still holds the rights to Fabregas through 2015, still has all the cards and can wait until he gets the kinds of offers he wants for his captain. He always plays close to the vest and if Barca wants to get a deal done, they'd be wise to do the same with their thoughts on the negotiations. 

I'm not saying a deal won't get done by August 30, but don't think for a second Wenger's going to give up the ghost sooner than that. I've said from the beginning that until we see Fabregas walk out on the stage for his welcome at the Nou Camp, it's best to assume that a deal isn't happening and that still stands now.

Barcelona has tried to play this like a deal is imminent since the summer began, but that hasn't been the case. It was reported that Barcelona was preparing a £33.5 million bid, but Arsenal's evaluation of Fabregas is £40 million. Wenger has said repeatedly, as has club chairman Peter Hill-Wood, that they want to keep Fabregas. Until Barcelona makes an incredible offer, there won't be a deal getting done, delegation or no delegation.

Maybe it's different this time, maybe Barca is actually close to getting the deal done. But given the way things have gone thus far, I wouldn't bet on it. We've heard nothing from Arsenal to indicate that a deal is near, and until that changes, you can bet that this saga is going to continue.