Four pages spews out based on this alone:

Hate to think what'd happen if there was a believable link.

Would love him back, though i am not sure of his attitude. Something about him does not seem right since the time he left. Plus i am not sure how it will affect the dressing room.

I don't think this will happen, he is probably happy with life in Spain and I don't think Barca really need to sell. With Xavi getting on as well I think they will be inclined to keep him as the players coming through aren't quite at the required level yet.

Tony Montana wrote:

If he's not good enough for Barca he's not good enough for us.

Not sure if serious....

As for your comments about us not getting worse since he left well, well that is because RvP last season had one of the best seasons a striker has ever had in this league last year and this season if we finish Top 4 it will be due to us having a more rounded squad and being less reliable on one player. We have Podolski with 9 league goals, Theo & Giroud on 11 and Santi on 12. So almost 4 players with 10+ league goals, Arteta + Gervinho have both got 5+ goals. I think this season we have had a bit more depth and stability in our squad as well. We've had better options than in the past when it comes to our defence and midfield.

y va marquer wrote:

Well he's not improved at Barca, he's not gone up a level or really stamped his name in history so what we get is a talented genius question mark.
Surprised at how uncritical the assessment of his return is.
A hungry Cesc? Does such a player exist?
Why would any player want to return to a club that they were desperate to leave in the first place and where they knew nothing but soul crushing failure?
Blind faith on all fronts I guess.
Won't work under Wenger.

If he leaves Barca he'll be seen as a failure there so he'll be determined to prove himself wherever he goes.

Cannon wrote:

Would love him back, though i am not sure of his attitude. Plus i am not sure how it will affect the dressing room.

i'm sure barca would find a way to cope.

Everytime I see Cesc plays, he reeks of a player who ain't committed enough.

I would love to see how he plays under Klopp system of 90 minutes pressing.

Indeed.
Klopp as manager would create an ideal circumstance for Cesc to return.
That does seem like pure fantasy, an exciting thought though.

I don't think this will happen but Wenger got the best out of Cesc and if he does come back he will still be the man to get the best out of Cesc.

If we 'only' bought Cesc this summer I'd be pleased and think of it as a successful summer.

Really? I'd still think we need more.
I'm not buying into this happily ever after return fable.
Cesc alone isn't going to put us back in serious contention.

Though I'm sure Kroenke and the boys would be gleeful that the reaquisition of Cesc alone would be enough to keep the fans happy.

Get cesc, Jovetic, Adler and a centreback

Macca wrote:

How does the first option clause work? If they put him up for sale and we offer 20-25m and another team offers 35m then how does the clause give us an advantage? Is it only if the offers are equal?

It means that if a team bids 35m for example, and barca accept their offer, we can also bid 35m (matching their bid) and be guaranteed to have it accepted.

The first option guarantees us a chance to offer a contract to the player so long as we match another offer that has been accepted. It means that Barca can't block his possible departure to Arsenal so long as we match another offer that has been accepted.

One thing that I'm unsure of is the 50% sell on clause...

It would be hilarious if we could get him at half price because of that

Doubt it applies when we are the hypothetical buying club though!

I don't know if Fabregas would want to come back here but I can totally believe that Barcelona want him out given the times he's been overlooked during the Champions league. Plus he doesn't really have role in the team because of Messi and Xavi.

How has Thiago been playing? Maybe they see him as a Xavi replacement.

He has looked ok, a good prospect so I'd expect to see a lot more of him next season. I think as he is so young and not ready that is another reason I can't see him coming.

Wouldn't it just be lovely if he tried to force a move back here like he forced a move out of the club! I wonder how Wenger felt about that when he left and how he had bought him in and invested so much time and effort into developing him as a player.

Clrnc wrote:

Everytime I see Cesc plays, he reeks of a player who ain't committed enough.

I would love to see how he plays under Klopp system of 90 minutes pressing.

Cesc doesn't have the engine for that, you just have to accept that and play to his strengths. He isn't shy to put in a tackle or press someone he just can't keep it up all match

General Mirth wrote:

I don't know if Fabregas would want to come back here but I can totally believe that Barcelona want him out given the times he's been overlooked during the Champions league. Plus he doesn't really have role in the team because of Messi and Xavi.

He was the player that Pep really wanted so it isn't clear if the current manager sees him in his plans for the team.

They can't drop Xavi or Iniesta and in all the other positions he just doesn't fit in well.

Cesc is world class without doubt.

If Cesc's position was clashing with Xavi and Iniesta only i think they would still accommodate him in some way. From what i have read, his position clashes with Messi's which is why this clamour. If not for that Barcelona would have already started building their team around Cesc.

I think Cesc will stay and be on the fringes for at least another couple of seasons. He isn't the heir to Xavi's throne, every time he plays that role he looks inhibited and poor. His most natural role is either taking Iniesta's place or Messi's, which ain't happening any time soon.

See how he feels after another season or two of not being considered one of the key players, but right now i would be shocked if he's ready to call it quits.