According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Arsenal are ready put a January bid on the table to sign Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren.
The 18-year-old has made a big impression since breaking through the youth system at Antwerp and he has been a regular starter for them in the Champions League this season. As per Tuttomercatoweb, Napoli are new admirers of the talented no.6, but they face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona.
The source go on to mention that the Gunners are ready to make an offer worth £13 million for the teenager in January, but it may not be sufficient with Antwerp wanting at least £22 million. The Belgian champions are open to evaluating his future in the summer, but the price could be much higher by that period.
Big talent
Vermeeren is just 18 years of age but he has already accumulated more than 50 appearances for Antwerp. He can play in the defensive and central midfield positions, but looks more comfortable from the former of those roles. As per Sofascore, he has won close to 2 tackles with more than 8 recoveries. He is also good with his distribution, completing over 86% of his passes.
He has been dubbed as the next big thing from Belgium and it remains to be seen whether Arsenal can prise him away from Antwerp in January. Antwerp are looking for much more than what the Gunners could offer and the onus is on Mikel Arteta’s side to make a better proposal to convince the Belgian giants to part ways with their prized asset in January.
If Arsenal were to play the waiting game until the summer, it could prove a costly mistake. While Antwerp could command a higher price in the summer, the Gunners also face the risk of inviting interest from several high-profile European clubs. Napoli and Barcelona are keen on Vermeeren, but other teams could also enter the bidding battle for him.
