Villarreal?s Santi Cazorla to Fill in For Cesc Fabregas?

If rumors are to be believed then Villarreal and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla is close to finalizing a deal with London club Arsenal despite interest shown from Spanish side Malaga.

Cazorla, 26, can come into the team as a ready-made replacement for captain Cesc Fabregas who is expected to leave Arsenal for Spanish football giant Barcelona at the end of the month who are set to make a final offer of £33.5 ($54.53) million for the Spanish midfielder.

The Arsenal manager, as per reports, is also set to make a renewed deal for Everton defender Phil Jagielka, 28, after the club’s initial bid of £10 ($16.28) million for the England international was rejected by Everton but now Arsenal is expected to approach the deal with a second bid of £15 ($24.42) million.

Wenger, earlier, had ruled out any off-hand comments about Fabregas leaving the club but was confident that Frenchman Samir Nasri will extend his contract at the London club and Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner may leave.

“The position at the moment [with Fabregas] is a ‘no comment’ situation because there is no movement at all,” Wenger told arsenal.com.

“As long as the situation is not settled, we have to focus on the coming season with the players we have. The players who are uncertain, it is difficult for them to focus on being completely committed,” Wenger further added.

Arsenal, however, has put a price tag of £40 ($65.11) million on Fabregas for Barcelona but may agree to the £33.5 million and use the money to acquire both Cazorla and Jagielka, according to a Metro report.

Santi Cazorla, who was acquired by Villarreal before he turned 18, has made 181 appearances for The Yellow Submarines scoring 25 goals and has represented Spain at Euro 2008, helping the team win the tournament. Cazorla is a versatile midfielder and can play in the middle and on either flank. He is best known for his speed and ability to change his gameplay accordingly.