After more than a year fighting to keep Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal, manager Arsene Wenger no longer knows whether it is still in the Premier League club's interest to hold onto the Spain midfielder.

The Arsenal manager has been trying to rebuff advances from Barcelona for a second straight offseason, but acknowledged on Friday that his captain is "unsettled" by the prospect of rejoining the club he left as a 16-year-old prospect.

Wenger only wants to keep hold of Fabregas if he is sure of his complete dedication to the team.

"He's in a moment where he thinks about it," Wenger said. "It is a bit uncertain and I always said he is torn between two loves. There is the club where he was educated as a very young boy and the club where he has been educated from 16 onwards and he has been given an opportunity.

"I personally can understand that but we want to be certain of his complete commitment."

Even with misgivings over Fabregas' focus, Wenger said that was the only logical way for the club to approach the situation. Otherwise, players would have total power to dictate the terms of their employment and contracts would be worthless.

"That would mean anybody who wants to leave you, you just have to let him go for any price," Wenger said. "A good deal is where everybody is happy at the end.

"I have that responsibility to sell players at a decent price or I take money away from my club."

Wenger said Fabregas will not be in the squad for the preseason Emirates Cup tournament the club was hosting at the weekend. Arsenal will play Boca Juniors today and meet the New York Red Bulls a day later.

Wenger said Arsenal had not set a deadline for Barcelona to return with a bigger offer for Fabregas, who is recovering from a hamstring problem. He said negotiations could continue until the final day of the European transfer window.

"He is coming back from an injury and he is not settled with us," Wenger said. "There is only one deadline. It's on the 31st of August. There are players who are focused on the club. My energy, my focus goes on them. I cannot help the other situation because it does not depend only upon me. It depends upon the players and the other clubs."

Wenger insisted he was not jealous of the money spent on high-profile signings by Manchester City, pointing out that it was effectively money borrowed from the club's owners.

"Our industry is, all over Europe, in a very bad situation and the clubs that live on the money they generate don't buy," Wenger said.

"The only clubs who buy at the moment in Europe are the clubs who buy with money that is not generated by our industry. There are two categories of club: those that travel with sweat and those who travel with petrol. We are one of those who travel with sweat."