Fabregas finalising Barca move

Cesc Fabregas has arrived at the Nou Camp to continue his Barcelona medical as he looks to put the finishing touches to his move from Arsenal.

The Spain international has already undergone the first part of his medical at the Hospital de Barcelona this morning and he is now set to complete his tests at the club's stadium.

If all goes to plan, the 24-year-old is due to sign his contract with the European champions at 12.30pm local time (11.30am irish time) and be presented to the media in Barcelona at 2pm (1pm Irish time).

Barca and Arsenal last night both announced they had reached an initial agreement for the transfer of Fabregas, who left the Catalan giants for the Gunners as a 16-year-old.

While Arsenal were always determined to keep Fabregas, it became clear this summer that the Spaniard - who made more than 300 appearances for the London club, scoring 57 goals - was no longer committed to their cause.

Barcelona saw a £27m offer rebuffed earlier in the summer, as Arsenal remained steadfast in their demands over a £40m fee.

However, with Barcelona not willing to significantly increase their cash bid, and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitting the player was unsettled, the English club reluctantly have allowed a deal to go through.

The package is widely reported to include a down payment of €30m (£27m), although it is not clear if that is in one lump sum, with an additional €6m (£5.2m) in performance-based add-ons at a later stage.

There are also suggestions Fabregas is prepared to waive the £4m compensation he would be entitled to for the remainder of his long-term Arsenal contract as technically he did not ask for a transfer.

Wenger expressed disappointment at Fabregas' departure.

"We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case," he said in a statement on Arsenal's official website.

"However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his hometown club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona.

"We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success.''

Fabregas had, according to Arsenal, been struggling for match fitness because of a hamstring injury which saw him miss the club's Far East tour and other pre-season games.

Wenger omitted his captain from the Emirates Cup pre-season tournament and the midfielder was not selected for Saturday's opening Premier League fixture at Newcastle.

Despite winning both the European Championship and World Cup with Spain, club success has not followed for the midfielder, who missed Arsenal's Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham at Wembley earlier this year through injury.