Vermaelen
Thomas Vermaelen will become the second Arsenal captain in three years to move to Manchester United if Louis van Gaal agrees to pay £12 million, reports the Daily Mail.
An agreement between Arsenal and
Manchester United officials is the only thing standing between Vermaelen and a move to Old Trafford after the Belgium defender agreed terms on a £100,000-a-
week deal.
With just one-year left on his contract at Arsenal, Manchester United would have hoped to have sealed Vermaelen for less than his valuation, but Arsene Wenger is determined to make them pay a premium because they are selling to a direct Premier League rival.
£12 million would represent a £2 million profit on Arsenal’s original outlay when they signed him from Ajax in the summer of 2009. He came to the Emirates Stadium with a big reputation and soon delivered with a string of fine performances, soon earning him the vice-captain’s role and later, captain.
Most clubs in the world would have signed Vermaelen in the summer of 2012 if he had been available for £12 million, despite the fact he had missed large parts of the previous year with an
achilles injury. However, after two forgettable seasons on Arsenal’s bench, that price now seems an expensive risk for Van Gaal.{GMS}
