Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas 'turns down £29.5m-a-season offer' to move to China

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has turned down an offer worth €31m-a-season (£29.5m, £32.9m) to move to China, according to Marca. The former Barcelona star has also reportedly been tempted by AC Milan and Roma in recent times but is likely to remain at Stamford Bridge for the long term.

Fabregas' future at west London has been under scrutiny since Antonio Conte arrived at the club in the summer. The 29-year-old was already linked with the likes of Milan and even Real Madrid during the last days of the summer transfer window and speculation has continued following his struggling start to the campaign.

The former Barcelona midfielder has only started two Premier League games this term, with both N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic being the first choice for Conte to form the midfield in his 3-4-3 formation.

But Marca claims that Fabregas is determined to change that situation and has turned down different offers to leave Chelsea ahead of the coming January transfer window.

The Chinese Super League broke the bank during the last January transfer window with the signings of some major European stars like former Chelsea midfielder Ramires, Jackson Martinez and Alex Teixeira in deals worth £25m, £31m and £38.4m respectively.

Marca claims that Fabregas has been tempted with a €31m-a-season salary to follow the same footsteps. However, the former Barcelona and Arsenal star immediately turned down the proposal as he believes that it is still too soon to make such a move to a minor league.

Yet, Conte has recently hailed the importance of the Spaniard after he played a key role in the latest two Chelsea victories over Manchester City and West Brom. Fabregas provided Diego Costa's equaliser to inspire the Blues' comeback at the Etihad Stadium while also he supplied the long-ball pass which led to his compatriot winner against Tony Pulis' side.