Arsenal are manoeuvring themselves into a position to bring Cesc Fabregas back to north London this summer.
The former Gunners skipper is currently on his summer holidays following Spain's Confederations Cup campaign and is pondering his future after a frustrating season at Barcelona.
Publicly, the Spaniard maintains he wants to stay at the Nou Camp, but doubts over how he fits into manager Tito Vilanova's plans after being regularly overlooked for big games last season has left Fabregas in two minds.
And the Gunners are poised to strike should the midfielder decide his future lies elsewhere with the Emirates Stadium club being kept updated on developments regarding the 26-year-old's future as the summer progresses.
A deal to re-sign Fabregas will be relatively straightforward to conclude. As part of the deal that took Fabregas back to Spain, Arsenal secured a £25million first-option clause as part of the transfer.
Should Barca decide to sell Fabregas, the Gunners would have first refusal on the midfielder at a fixed price of £25million.
Even if Fabregas decides he wants to return to London, Barca will be hesitant to let him leave given the work the Catalan club put in to bringing him back to Spain - but Arsenal will be at the front of the queue should that eventuality occur.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are stepping up their interest in Swansea defender Ashley Williams following Thomas Vermaelen's back injury.
The Wales international is a key target for Arsene Wenger this summer, but Arsenal have baulked at the central-defender's £10million asking price.
But as Sportsmail revealed on Tuesday, captain Vermaelen is likely to miss the start of the season due to the recurrence of a lower back problem, leaving the Gunners with just two fit senior centre-halves; Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
Vermaelen will not travel with the rest of the squad to the Far East on Thursday, instead staying behind to continue with his rehabilitation.
It is not yet clear how long the Belgium international will spend on the sidelines, with the next seven days understood to be critical in diagnosing the full extent of the problem.
It is feared the defender could miss up to three months if his problem does not respond well to treatment.
