Barcelona fail in Arshavin move

Russia forward Andrei Arshavin's hopes of a dream move to Barcelona appear to have been dashed after his club ended their negotiations with the Catalans.

Zenit St Petersburg coach Dick Advocaat suggested that the 27-year-old should command a fee of between £20m to £25m, - a figure Barcelona fell short of.

"Barcelona have failed to improve their original offer of 15m euros (£12m)," Zenit said on their website.

"We decided to end our negotiations with the Spanish club."

The statement added: "We have not received any offers for Arshavin from any other clubs, therefore there are no discussions going on about his transfer."

606: DEBATE
Which club will win the race to sign Andrei Arshavin?

Earlier, a Zenit spokesperson told BBC Sport that the forward's heart was set on a move to the Nou Camp, but that negotiations with Barcelona were ongoing.

Barcelona were the only club to have made an official offer for the player despite newspaper reports suggesting he would be having talks with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Arshavin, who scored twice during Euro 2008 after missing the first two games through suspension, has been given leave of absence while he decides on his future.

"Andrei won't play until things are all cleared up," confirmed Advocaat.

"It's a joint decision. Better put, I told him he shouldn't play and he agreed."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Fifa
Russia website
Zenit St Petersburg website
Football on the BBC
Your say - 606
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites