Barca chief hails Cesc bargain

Published Sep. 4, 2011 3:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Spain midfielder, who returned to boyhood club Barca from Arsenal last month to end a long-running transfer saga, scored on his Primera Liga debut for the Catalan giants to help them to a 5-0 rout of Villarreal. Fabregas, whose move to the European champions was worth a reported £35million, was also on target in their 2-0 UEFA Super Cup victory over Porto. Barca chief Bartomeu says after seeing the 24-year-old in action on the pitch and in training he believes he is worth closer to the €60m price tag originally bestowed on him by the Gunners. He told Sport: "After seeing the work he's done since his arrival it is true that Cesc meets the €60m valuation Arsenal initially demanded. "The kid is demonstrating a high level and quality in three weeks of training. The transfer was very good. "In a market that is so open Cesc is worth a lot of money. "It was complicated to close the deal. The negotiations were very hard." Meanwhile, Bartomeu has rejected the rumour that Manchester City made a bid for Barca superstar Lionel Messi during the latest transfer window. He added: "Our policy is not to sell our stars but on this subject it certainly did not (happen)."