Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly opened talks with Royal Antwerp over a deal to sign Arthur Vermeeren in the upcoming transfer window, as per the 90min journalist Graeme Bailey.
Spurs have been looking to sign a new midfielder since last summer. They were linked with a few options with Conor Gallagher being mentioned as the primary target.
However, they couldn’t manage to sign anyone before the deadline. Now, it seems having failed to reinforce their engine room in the recently concluded window, Tottenham are looking to do that in January.
Gallagher was thought to be their priority target but he has now established himself as a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s first eleven at Chelsea. So, it is highly unlikely that the Blues will allow the departure of the Englishman.
Therefore, it seems having given up on their hopes of signing Gallagher, Tottenham have opted to shift focus to alternative options with Vermeeren now emerging as a serious target.
Battle
Writing on Twitter, Bailey has reported that Tottenham are keen on signing Vermeeren and they have already opened formal talks with Antwerp to secure the 18-year-old’s signature.
It has been suggested that the Belgian side could accept a fee of around £15m to sell Vermeeren so the Lilywhites can manage to acquire the youngster’s service for an affordable price.
However, Bailey states that securing the Antwerp star’s signature won’t be straightforward for Tottenham as Arsenal are also plotting a swoop for him and they have made contact with the Belgian side to purchase the midfielder as well.
In addition, the journalist claims that apart from Arsenal and Tottenham, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are also keen on purchasing him. So, it is apparent that the North London clubs are set to face tough competition from their rivals in getting any potential deal done for Vermeeren.
Bailey said:
“Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have all been in contact with Royal Antwerp over midfielder Arthur Vermeeren.
“Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are all keen on the highly-rated 18-year-old.”
Vermeeren is an extremely talented player and he would be a great coup for Arsenal or Tottenham if either club manage to secure his signature. However, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal or Tottenham eventually manage to sign the Belgian international in the upcoming transfer window.
