Man Utd and Arsenal given hope in wonderkid chase

Cameron Smith

• 23 Jan 2024 10:23 GMT
• 3 min read

Atletico Madrid appear to be the frontrunners in the race to sign Arthur Vermeeren, but the Spanish giants are yet to match Royal Antwerp’s €30 million asking price, providing hope for Arsenal and Manchester United.

Vermeeren, 18, is one of the biggest talents in Belgian football and he has attracted transfer interest from some of Europe’s most notable clubs over the past year.

The midfielder has already been capped at senior level by the Belgium national team and he is wanted by the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal, Man Utd and Atletico Madrid.

The latter look to be leading the race to sign Vermeeren and have lodged an opening offer of around €12m, according to Belgian outlet HLN.

This was reportedly swiftly rejected by Antwerp, who are holding out for a fee of at least €30m.

HLN have reported that Atleti have since increased their offer, but Diego Simeone’s side are yet to lodge an acceptable bid. Furthermore, Atletico Madrid want to sign Vermeeren permanently in January, while Antwerp would only accept those terms if he returns to the club on loan until the summer.

As a result, Arsenal and Man Utd have been handed a lifeline in their pursuit of Vermeeren as it looks as though Atletico will struggle to finalise a deal before the January window slams shut.

How much will Arthur Vermeeren cost?

Although it has been reported that Royal Antwerp want €30m for Vermeeren, this is actually lower than his current value.

The Belgian wonderkid’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at a whopping €36.9m, having risen from a mere €400,000 in January 2023.

It is also expected that the midfielder will shatter the current Belgian transfer record of €36.5m. “If we sell it, it will definitely be at the right price. We’ll see whether he becomes the most expensive outgoing transfer in Belgium ever,” Antwerp CEO Sven Jacques told HLN in December.