Arsenal poised to beat Barcelona to bargain wonderkid signing

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 Nov 2023 12:44 GMT
3 min read

Arsenal look poised to beat Barcelona to the signing of Arthur Vermeeren, according to Spanish media.

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The Belgian wonderkid has emerged as one of Europe's most sought-after prospects this calendar year. After playing a role in helping Royal Antwerp win their first league title since 1957, the youngster has only gone from strength to strength this season even though Mark van Bommel's side are struggling to recapture last term's form.

A midfielder by trade, Vermeeren's stock has risen dramatically in recent times and this has, unsurprisingly, attracted the attention of Europe's big hitters especially since Antwerp appear to be going nowhere this season. Barcelona are long-time admirers of the 18-year-old and they had a chance to watch him up close when they faced his Belgian side in the Champions League earlier in the season.

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The cash-strapped Blaugrana have different priorities at the minute, however, and this has given another side a chance to swoop in.

Arsenal ready to pounce

Among Vermeeren's many admirers are also Arsenal and the Gunners appear to have stolen a march on the youngster's other suitors. That's at least according to Sport, which claims that the Premier League giants are poised to make a January move.

What's more, the Belgian could be had for a relative bargain. Even though he is currently valued at almost €30 million by FootballTransfers' Player Valuation Model, the Spanish outlet states that a paltry €15m could be enough to prise him away from Antwerp this winter.

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Faced with potentially missing out on Vermeeren, Barcelona could look to loan a midfielder in January with a view to making the deal permanent in the summer. The lack of resources at the disposal of sporting director Deco, however, is severely hamstringing the Catalan giants and it will likely see them forced to overlook one of Europe's biggest up-and-coming talents.