Arsenal could sign 'Declan Rice regen'

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 15 Dec 2023 20:27 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal are in the race to sign Belgian wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren, a player who has drawn comparisons with Emirates favourite Declan Rice in his short career so far.

Vermeeren is only 18 but has already racked up 62 senior appearances with Antwerp, and scored against one of his potential suitors on Wednesday when Mark van Bommel's side beat Barcelona 3-2 in the Champions League.

Interest in the player is high, with Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur also among those tracking his progress.

Now valued at €35.7 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, Vermeeren will fetch at least that after his Barca masterclass.

"If we sell it, it'll definitely be at the right price," Antwerp CEO Sven Jacques told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws recently. "We'll see whether he becomes the most expensive outgoing transfer in Belgium ever."

Arsenal's interest

That record transfer is Charles De Ketelaere's, who cost AC Milan €36.5m when he joined them from Club Brugge in the summer of 2022.

Arsenal could do worse than test Brugge's resolve, especially with the player now drawing comparisons to Rice, who has made such a positive impact in North London since his £105m arrival from West Ham in the summer.

"Both were centre-backs in their youth days who have since been converted into either defensive or box-to-box midfielders," analysed GOAL's Thomas Hindle. "Both are excellent defenders, who understand space, and are always improving going forward."

Two of the same might not be the best for team cohesion, but it is understood that Mikel Arteta would like to add another defensive midfielder to his ranks with Thomas Partey nearing the Emirates exit, with Juventus and the Saudi Pro League interested in the Ghanaian.

Granit Xhaka left the club for Bayer Leverkusen last summer, and the Gunners are thinner in that department than they would otherwise like to be as they chase a first Premier League title since 2004.