SOCCER:CESC FABREGAS will meet Arsene Wenger today and confirm his desire to leave Arsenal after almost eight years in north London as he seeks to smooth a transfer back to Barcelona ahead of the weekend.

The Spain international midfielder briefly visited the club’s training ground yesterday to undergo routine fitness tests ahead of the start of pre-season training, though the question of his future will only be formally addressed in face-to-face talks with his manager today.

Fabregas will make his desire to leave clear, with Wenger expected to accept the time has finally come for the 24-year-old to rejoin his boyhood club.

Negotiations are still far from concluded with Barcelona, despite the European Cup winners having lodged an improved offer worth around €39 million for the midfielder last week after seeing an initial bid of €30 million rejected earlier in the summer. That bid may yet need to be raised to nearer €44 million but there is optimism at the Catalan club and within the Fabregas camp a compromise can be reached by the end of the week.

Fabregas’s agent, Darren Dein, son of the former Arsenal vice-chairman David, will play his part in the talks, having been otherwise engaged yesterday concluding Gael Clichy’s €7.7 million move from the Emirates Stadium to Manchester City. The France international, the last remaining squad member of Arsenal’s “Invincibles” side of 2003-04, has signed a four-year contract at Eastlands, having previously entered the final 12 months of his deal in London.

“Gael has grown and developed so much since joining us in 2003, and has been a crucial part of the team over recent seasons,” said Wenger. “He leaves with our respect and best wishes.”

“As a team, you need a big squad to go all the way,” said Clichy. “That’s why I joined City: because I want to win things. You always progress with competition. It’s going to be difficult – a new life, a new club – but I can’t wait. Anything is possible with this team. Last year was a big year for them, or for ‘us’, and I just hope we keep on progressing. It’s impossible to say where we could finish.”

Another player expected to leave Arsenal, the Frenchman Samir Nasri, is not due to resume pre-season training at London Colney until Thursday but will meet Wenger then and is expected to confirm his desire to join Manchester United. The 24-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract and has rejected a new five-year deal worth €100,000 a week at the Emirates Stadium, leaving Arsenal with a dilemma as to their next move.

Meanwhile, Stephen Ireland will report back to pre-season training with Aston Villa this week determined to make a fresh start and demonstrate his commitment to the club after a disappointing first season in the Midlands. The Cork man is due to hold talks with Alex McLeish, the new Villa manager, upon his return to the club, and intends to use those discussions to express his desire to fight for a regular first-team place.

Ireland, who plans to move into an apartment in Birmingham before the start of the season rather than continue to commute from the north-west, recognises that McLeish’s arrival represents a clean slate and offers him an opportunity to revive his career.

The midfielder was named Manchester City’s player of the year in 2009 and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him, but over the past couple of seasons he has regressed. He became a peripheral figure at Eastlands under Roberto Mancini in the 2009-10 season and endured a frustrating and underwhelming first campaign at Villa, after arriving last August as part of the deal that took James Milner to Manchester City.

Ireland struggled to make an impact, was quickly dropped from the starting XI and publicly criticised by Gerard Houllier, who accused him of not working hard enough for the team.

Houllier’s remarks went down badly with Ireland, who was allowed to join Newcastle United on loan in January. His spell on Tyneside proved difficult for several reasons. Ireland suffered knee and thigh injuries and had to wait three months before he made his Newcastle debut.

Also, while on loan at the club, his partner was involved in a serious car accident. By the time Ireland’s four-month loan had expired, he had made only two appearances for Newcastle.