Cesc Fabregas has again been linked with Barcelona after the Arsenal captain spoke of his admiration for Pep Guardiola.

Fabregas come up through the youth ranks at Barca before moving to Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003, and the Spain international has been regularly quizzed about a possible return to the Nou Camp over the last few years.

Fabregas has always maintained he is happy at Arsenal, and in his latest comments about a possible switch to Barca he has repeated that same message.

However, he was also quoted as saying by Spanish newspaper Sport that if Barca boss Guardiola were to get in touch with him it "would be different".

Guardiola enjoyed a remarkable first year as Barca coach, helping the club became the first Spanish side to win the Primera Division, Copa del Rey and European Cup titles in the same season.

That success follows on from a remarkable playing career for the Catalan giants, where home-grown Guardiola played almost 500 games and claimed over 15 pieces of silverware as part of Barca's famous 'Dream Team' of the 1990s.

Fabregas admits he holds Guardiola in special regard, saying in Sport: "I've always looked up to him. I've always played in his position, I've liked to wear his number four shirt...

"When I was small he was my footballing hero, the player I liked most. I've tried to imitate things that he did and as a coach he's shown again what he can do. He is a person who will always be important in my life."

He added: "It's very clear that it would be special (to receive an offer), but I'm also very clear that Arsenal have made me captain, and for that I have added responsibility, which ties me more to the club and gives me greater hopes of lifting a title as captain of the Gunners."

Lifting a title is something no Arsenal captain has managed to do since the FA Cup success of 2005.

Last season Arsene Wenger's side reached the semi-finals of both the Champions League and FA Cup, but ended the season empty-handed.

Fabregas, who is currently with Spain at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, said: "If you don't win titles you cannot be happy, although it's true that we didn't finish badly. It hurt us a bit to lose in the semi-finals of the Champions league and cup. We couldn't take the final step.

"We lack a little to get to finals, like Chelsea in the cup or Manchester United or Barcelona in the Champions League."