Manchester United make official statement on Fabregas

Manchester United have made an official statement concerning their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas after the player insisted he was staying at Barcelona at a press conference earlier today.

Fabregas said he would not leave Barcelona this afternoon, but United have now responded with an official statement, saying: "We appreciate Cesc is a contracted player at Barcelona and completely respect everything Cesc has said today."

It's a strange statement from United - not saying they'll continue or abandon their pursuit, so it's hard to see what the point of making it was or what kind of message they're trying to convey. It's hard getting to grips with the club being so open and candid considering the cloak-and-dagger stylings of the old regime, so what this means is anyone's guess.

Fabregas' comments alone don't completely kill the deal of course, but it does look a lot more unlikely now. The situation over this window is getting very strange indeed.

Oh, and while we're here: referring to a player who isn't ours by his first name in an official club statement? Have a word.