Como president clears Fabregas to leave as Man Utd manager links grow ahead of Champions League clash

Cesc Fabregas has been given an unconditional release by Como president Mirwan Suwarso should Manchester United approach the Spanish coach, with the Italian club’s owner making clear he would not seek compensation or stand in his way.

The revelation comes ahead of Como’s Champions League home fixture against United at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, a match Fabregas described as a “historic day once again for the club, the city of Como and fanbase.” It arrives at a moment when pressure is mounting on United manager Michael Carrick following a difficult start to the season.

Fabregas, who guided Como from Serie B to Serie A and into European competition in remarkable time, has already been linked with the Chelsea job — which ultimately went to Xabi Alonso — and has been mentioned as a future candidate at Barcelona. The United vacancy, should it materialise, would represent another step up for the 37-year-old.

Suwarso has been consistent on the matter across multiple public appearances. Speaking during the Chelsea speculation in the summer, he said: “If that makes him happy, that’s him. You want your employees to stay with you for as long as possible but at the end of the day, we don’t own him and he’s free to go to Chelsea if he wishes.”

More recently, on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored, Suwarso was asked whether a release clause existed for clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea or Barcelona. His answer went further than a contractual technicality. “He doesn’t need a clause to go anywhere wherever he wants,” Suwarso said. “Cesc Fabregas is a friend more than anything else. He can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants. So if tomorrow he gets a call, or he calls me, and says, ‘Hey, I want to go to Leverkusen tomorrow’ — I would say, ‘Is there something that you want to do? Then yeah go.’ I don’t need any compensation.”

Fabregas himself declined to engage with questions about potentially replacing Carrick in the pre-match press conference, citing respect for his counterpart. “As you can understand, I won’t answer that question because I think that’s not a very nice question,” he said. “I don’t think that shows enough respect to a great footballer and manager like Michael Carrick at the helm of a wonderful Manchester United side.”

The Como head coach also pushed back on any suggestion of a crisis at Old Trafford, praising United’s squad and staff. “Man United is a historical club that I know very, very well,” he said. “They have incredible players, good staff. I know Steve Holland very well because I worked with him for years at Chelsea, and I know Michael has done really well in previous clubs as well.”