Cesc Fabregas will play for Chelsea next season (Picture: AP)

Jose Mourinho has goaded Arsene Wenger by claiming it was ‘easy’ to persuade Cesc Fabregas to join Chelsea.

The Blues boss says it took ‘less than 20 minutes’ to persuade the Spanish international that his future was at Stamford Bridge and not the club would be a better option than returning to Arsenal.

‘I spoke with him for 20 minutes,’ said Mourinho. ‘He really wanted to come to us.

Jose Mourinho says it was easy to persuade Cesc Fabregas to join Chelsea (Picture: AP)

‘Arsenal had an option to interfere, but I think he was not open to that. I think he was very, very much in our direction, so it was an easy job for me.’

Fabregas once claimed that he would only play for Arsenal or Barcelona – but eventually joined Chelsea in a £27 million deal.

Arsenal signed Fabregas as a 16-year-old from Barcelona and he spent eight years at the club, captaining the team, before moving back to Spain in 2011.

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