New Barcelona manager Gerardo Tata Martino has offered the press his latest take on the Cesc Fabregas will-he-wont-he saga.
He said, after Barcelona’s pre-season 8-0 victory over Santos, that it is up to the player. He goes on to say that he wants him to stay, but also intimated (even at this stage) that he is not privy to Cesc’s intentions.
“I’ve talked to Cesc, I explained him my idea.
“Of course we want him to stay, he’s one of the best in the squad, so it’s up to him.”
So, those words again “...so it’s up to him”.
Does that sound like Barcelona have left the decision on Fabregas’s future up to the player himself?
If that is the case, (and Martino’s words have not been lost in translation) then Barcelona have accepted a bid from United. There is no other possible way that a player who was ‘untransferable’ just a week and a half ago, suddenly gets to decide on his own future.
So now Fabregas really has a decision to make. Barcelona have accepted the offer (if Martino’s words are accurate) thus the player is NOT indispensable and is completely ‘transferable’.
The other aspect of this is that everyone has had their say on Cesc’s future - Puyol, Song, Iniesta, Xavi & Pique who are 100% convinced that his future will be at Camp Nou (even though they all said that they hadn’t spoke to Cesc himself). Everyone but Fabregas has had their say. What is his silence telling us? Cesc has had ample opportunity to quash the rumour unequivocally, but has declined to do so. 
He did say in June that the idea of him leaving Barca was ‘absurd’, and possibly he could be of the attitude that “My name is Cesc Fabregas, and I am NOT in the habit of repeating myself!”
United fans will be hoping that he is human like the rest of us and is prone to a very understandable change of heart.
Barcelona then are embarking on a Public Relations Damage Limitation exercise, by stating through their manager that the transferability of the player is up to the player himself. Thus, Barca will be hoping that it will be construed by their fans that Fabregas wanted to leave the club, irrespective of the fact that they accepted a bid for him.
Incidentally, Fabregas was in sparkling form against Santos and showed why Moyes & United are convinced that he is the answer to their “World-Class-midfielder-conundrum”. His imperious display saw him create an assist, score two goals and be denied a hat-trick by the width of a post.