Fabregas plays down shirt

The Arsenal skipper has long been linked with a return to the Catalan giants, where he spent six years as a youth team player before moving to North London in 2003, and Barca have already had a 35million euro bid turned down this summer.

Barca defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique - helped by Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina - fanned the flames over a possible move by forcing a Blaugrana jersey over their Spain team-mate's head as La Roja celebrated their triumphant return to Madrid on Monday night.

But Fabregas has laughed off the matter, saying nothing more should be read into what was simply a practical joke.

"These are things that happen at special moments, and I don't think it should be gone on about much more because it was just another anecdote of a great night, a great celebration," said the Arsenal midfielder. "There are times we do not even know what we do, so everything can be forgiven.

"Pepe took me there (to the front of the stage), the truth is that I didn't know anything like that was going to happen and so I was a bit surprised. At first I thought it was a flag or something, but it's nothing."