Fabregas Transfer to Barcelona Complete

The transfer of soccer star Cesc Fabregas from Arsenal to Barcelona was completed today when he signed a five-year contract with the team. Arsenal was paid $42 million and incentives could bring the total price to $56 million. The player himself will pay Arsenal $1.4 million of his own salary for every year of the deal and Barcelona could add another $7 million based on the trophies they win.

Fabregas spent the last eight seasons with Arsenal but the transfer brings the 24-year-old Spaniard back to the club he played with as a boy.

"It took a lot of years, months, days to get here...it's nice to be home after eight years," said Fabregas in Catelan. "This is the most difficult challenge of my life."

Fabregas is supposed to train with his new team later today and will try to assimilate into a team that already includes Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez, some of the greatest players in the world.

The star's desire to return to Barcelona was first made apparent after the 2009-10 season but Arsenal did not want to let go of its most valuable asset. The player and team reached an agreement that he would stay for the next year and this year it seemed again that Arsenal would try to hold of the Spanish club's interest.

Fabregas is already a seasoned veteran with 57 goals in 303 appearances, an FA Cup with Arsenal, the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 European championship that he won with the Spanish national team. He could begin play as early as Wednesday as Barcelona plays Real Madrid.