MADRID - Arsenal has abandoned efforts to keep skipper Cesc Fabregas, who could be set for a return to Spanish giant Barcelona, Spanish sports newspapers said on Thursday.

Gunners coach Arsene Wenger has allowed his skipper to leave on condition he does not sign with another English team, the Barcelona-based daily Mundo Deportivo said, quoting a conversation between the two.

But it warned "negotiations between the two clubs will not be easy".