Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie joined Arsenal in 2004.

Robin van Persie will not be tempted by Cesc Fabregas to move to Barcelona, according to the former Arsenal skipper, with the striker still deciding over where his future lies while his contract runs down.

Van Persie's current deal with the Gunners finishes in summer 2013, and the club are currently working on a new deal for the captain that is set to be a record for the side in the hopes of securing his signature for longer.

But if Arsenal don't make Champions League this season, they will be staring down the barrel tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue, and the club could be tempted by the possibility of selling their star for a big fee.

But Arsenal fans needn't worry that van Persie might go to Barcelona to join old teammate Fabregas, with the Spaniard insisting that he doesn't advise his friend on what to do in the future in any way.

"I talk to him but not about Barca," Fabregas told El Mundo Deportivo.

"He is an Arsenal player and he knows what is best for him. I only wish the best of luck for him before he makes whatever decision he will make."

Last summer Arsene Wenger went through the same plight of deciding whether to keep or sell a star whose contract was running down, with Samir Nasri eventually leaving the Emirates for Manchester City.

At the time, Wenger had been insisting that he wouldn't sell his big players to rival clubs, telling reporters: "It is in the interests of the club [to keep Nasri]. Fábregas is in no-man's land ... Imagine the worst situation, that we lose Fábregas and Nasri; you cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that."

After deadline day, and Wenger had sold both Fabregas and Nasri, he dodged questions relating to his earlier comments, and Arsenal have struggled since.

And though Fabregas was skipper at Arsenal, he suffered from ongoing injuries. Van Persie is on top form at the moment, and his loss would greatly affect the Gunners, possibly more so than Fabregas' exit, with the hitman credited with saving the side this season from being completely out of Champions League contention.