Gunners ‘broke the bank’ to keep Fabregas

ARSENAL handed captain Cesc Fabregas a one-off £3m (€3.4m) sweetener and upped his wages to £110,000 (€127,000) a week in a bid to keep him at the club, it has been claimed.

With Barcelona heading the queue of European clubs eyeing the Spain midfielder, the Gunners are said to have agreed a wage-cap busting deal that increased his £80,000 (€92,000) a week salary.

Barca remain keen to re-sign a player who came through their academy, but Arsenal hope to retain their star after quietly sanctioning the mega-deal last summer, according to football website, goal.com.