By FRANCO PANIZO
Barcelona has long flirted with the idea of acquiring midfielder Cesc Fabregas, but the Spanish club will have to increase its offer if it wishes to pry him away from Arsenal.
Barcelona had a $42.6 million bid for Fabregas rejected by Arsenal, which reporedly wants at least $70.4 million for its captain. Arsenal was surprised by Barcelona's bid, as it was lower than the one that was rejected last summer.
Fabregas' current contract runs until 2015, but Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said the club will not be offering anything more than $56.8 million as it feels Fabregas' value is decreasing with his contract nearing its expiration.
Here are more stories from around the soccer world:
Ganso wants to join AC Milan
Santos midfielder Ganso may be linked with several European clubs, but he already has his preferred destination. Ganso said he would like to join AC Milan in January, after he gets a chance to beat Leo Messi in the FIFA Clup World Cup. Ganso will get a chance to play in the December tournament should he stick with Santos until then, as the club earned a berth by winning the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.
Marshall dies in car accident in Costa Rica
Just five days after scoring his first international goal for Costa Rica in a Gold Cup quaterfinal match against Honduras, Dennis Marshall was killed in a car accident in his native country on Thursday. The 25-year-old defender, who played for Aalborg BK in Denmark, and his girlfriend were said to be killed after a head-on crash with a truck on a mountain road.
Gasperini selected as Inter manager
Inter Milan has ended its search for a new manager, choosing former Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini on Friday. Gasperini is expected to sign a two-year deal with the club as soon as some formalities are taken care of. Gasperini will replace Leonardo, who guided Inter to a second-place finish this past season.
Igwe joins SV Babelsberg 03
Former New England Revolution defender Amaechi Igwe has left FC Ingolstadt 04 and joined SV Babelsberg 03 in Germany's third division (3rd Liga). Igwe signed with Babelsberg on a free transfer after enduring a serious knee injury that forced him to miss much of Ingolstadt's campaign last season.
------
What do you think of Arsenal rejecting Barcelona's bid? Expecting Gasperini to lead Inter back to first place? Should Igwe have returned to MLS rather than sign with Babelsberg?
Share your thoughts below.
