After Arsenal rejected a €35m offer from Barcelona during the summer of 2010, the writing was seemingly on the wall regarding the departure of Cesc Fabregas from the Gunners.
The Spanish maestro was becoming an increasingly pivotal figure at the Emirates Stadium, carrying the captaincy and burden of ensuring Arsenal's top-four position with such effect that his former club came calling for his services.
While he remained faithful to the club that had acted as his home for seven years, there was a growing feeling that his eighth would be his last, especially after Arsenal ended the season with no trophies after reaching the mid-point of the campaign with the potential of four.
As expected, Barcelona contacted the Gunners in 2011 with bids for the creative head of Arsenal's side, and after a prolonged saga of "will he, won't he" return to the club where he spent six years of his youth, an offer of €29m plus extras was accepted.
With a heavy heart, Fabregas signed on the dotted line at the Catalan club, ending his association with the English outfit after netting 57 goals in 303 appearances.
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There was much anticipation from Camp Nou supporters as to where Fabregas would fit in amongst the genius of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, and whether he would establish a place in the starting lineup at all.
But Fabregas soon made an impact at the club, netting in Barca's Super Cup triumph over Porto before going on to score four times in the opening month of the La Liga season.
It had been a seemingly perfect transition for the midfielder, but his building momentum was halted by an hamstring injury that kept him out for a month.
However, he returned to the Catalan giants refreshed, continuing his hot streak in front of goal and going on to win the Club World Cup late in 2011.
Barca missed out in La Liga and the Champions League, but the campaign was a personal success for Fabregas, who registered 15 goals and 20 assists in 48 appearances.
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The Spanish international didn't take long to get up and running in his second campaign, scoring four goals in three separate competitions as Barca looked to make up for an unsuccessful 2011-12 campaign.
Fabregas recorded his first hat-trick of his career in April as Barca cantered past Mallorca, and soon afterwards, the 26-year-old was lifting his first La Liga trophy.
It was again an impressive year on a personal level for Fabregas, who added another 14 goals to his Barcelona tally, but has not prevented speculation linking him with a return to England this summer.
Manchester United have made several big-money bids for the Spaniard's services, who remained coy over the interest as he awaited reassurance from Barcelona over his role with the club.
Fabregas has since come out and stated that he is happy at Camp Nou, but until the transfer window slams shut on September 2, his future in Spain could remain an uncertain one.
Darren Plant
