Barcelona Transfer News: Barca's Hunt for Fabregas Will Stretch Past the Summer

Throughout the entire Cesc Fabregas saga, Barcelona has been eternally patient.

The midfielder's boyhood club has made attempt after attempt to sign their former prospect, and if they ever want a deal to come to fruition, Barca has to continue to dig in for the long haul, because this drama is far from over.

Despite Barcelona's optimism about the negotiations, the truth of the matter is that Fabregas isn't going anywhere in the next month or so.

Per Mirror Football:

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At a press conference held today to formally unveil the Chile forward, Bartomeu claimed the deal for Fabregas remains in the pipeline.

"They [the talks] are going in the right direction," he said. "We will try and do what we can with the money we have.

"We have until August 30 to do things and I am sure we will."

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Barca is confident, but haven't been willing to match Arsene Wenger's asking price for his midfielder, and that is the only hurdle between the two sides. The Catalan giants have refused to match Arsenal's £40 million asking price, and have tried to negotiate down in an effort to get Fabregas on the cheap.

With Wenger's job on the line, he cannot afford to sell his skipper for anything less than his asking price. He needs that money to get replacements in the transfer window, and supporters will be calling for his head if he gets less than £40 million for the club's best player.

Barcelona is not foolish, and has realized that Fabregas will not move to any other club than his boyhood home, allowing the Spanish side to bid lower than Arsenal's demands. With no other challengers circling around the prized midfielder, why should Barca break the bank for a player that would primarily come off of the bench? That would just be foolish. 

If other clubs were circling, Barca would put more money on the table, it's that simple. It may frustrate Arsenal supporters, myself included, but the truth is that it's good business.

As the two clubs haggle over a price for Fabregas, it has become obvious that both sides are willing to wait the other out. If that's the case, they might as well get comfortable, because it's going to be a long ride.

Fabregas has a long-term contract at Arsenal, and it doesn't expire for years. Clubs generally don't rush to sell when they have the rights to a player for the foreseeable future, and we've seen that at the Emirates. Throw in the fact that the midfielder has treated the Gunners with nothing but respect during the entire process, and it becomes an easy decision to hold on to his services past the summer transfer window.

Furthermore, Wenger is trying to bring silverware to the Emirates, and his skipper will be a big part of that, despite Barcelona's flirtations with their former star.

Eventually, Fabregas will play for his boyhood club, but it won't be next season.