Real and Barca look to snatch Fabregas away from unsettled Arsenal

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As former Gunners captain Thierry Henry was unveiled as a Barca player last night, the Catalan giants were preparing the ground to recapture Fabregas in a £15million swoop.

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Stick with it: Cesc Fabregas could be the next Gunner to quit the Emirates

And with Arsene Wenger's prime target Ryan Babel set to reject a move to the Emirates because of doubts over the manager's long-term commitment to the club, Spanish champions Real will also join a bidding war if they see any sign that Arsenal may listen to offers, according to reports in the Daily Mirror.

Both Spanish clubs see the sale of Henry, and Wenger's failure to make any public commitment to stay after his contract runs out next summer, as proof that the Gunners are ripe for raiding. And they are poised to test Arsenal's resolve to keep the midfielder whose free signing from Barcelona's youth team four years ago was arguably Wenger's most audacious and successful piece of business.

Fabregas, the remaining jewel in the Emirates crown, is the prized asset Gunners fans would not countenance losing.

The 20-year-old, who signed an eight-year extension to his contract last October, admitted earlier this month that he "dreamed about returning to Barcelona one day".

Fabregas has told friends he wants to stay at Arsenal for one more season, after which he expects Wenger to quit and then he will follow the Frenchman out of the door.

Yet the Arsenal board would be reluctant to agree to any sale in the wake of Henry's exit, fearful of the message it would send out.