Arsenal put Mata deal on hold until Fabregas matter resolved
Arsenal are thought to be stalling on their proposed deal for Valencia winger, Juan Mata, until they can resolve the issue surrounding the future of captain, Cesc Fabregas.
Fabregas has been embroiled in a fierce transfer battle involving a move back to his native Barcelona for well over a year now, with the saga likely to end soon.
Tottenham remain interested in the Spanish star, apparently having a £22m bid rejected last week, but sources in Spain suggest the winger doesn’t favour a move to White Hart Lane.
Wenger is reluctant to stage any big-money signings until he knows where he stands with his 24 year-old captain. Barcelona have been contemplating a bid for the past three transfer windows but cannot reach an agreement with the North London club, who value the maestro at somewhere near £40m.
The Gunners could have signed Mata for £18m last weekend, but a deadline passed meaning the buy-out clause in the Spaniard’s contract almost tripled to £52m.
