Barcelona have reportedly held talks with Royal Antwerp for Manchester United-linked midfield wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren, who is valued at €20 million by the Belgian giants.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Barcelona sporting director Deco has discussed with Royal Antwerp’s transfer supremo Marc Overmars about the possibility of signing Belgium Under-21 international and Manchester United transfer target, Arthur Vermeeren.
Despite the fact that Oriol Romeu was brought in during the summer window to fill the void left by Sergio Busquets’ departure, Barcelona are already searching for the right profile to reinforce the pivot position in the long run. And one player who appears to be high on Deco’s list of candidates is Royal Antwerp starlet Vermeeren.
The 18-year-old enjoyed a fine breakthrough campaign for Antwerp last term, clocking up 50 appearances and helping them win the domestic league and cup double last season. Barça have already scouted him live in action on multiple occasions and have received positive reports on the young midfielder.
In fact, Mundo Deportivo are reporting that Barcelona have even held talks with Royal Antwerp about Vermeeren recently. The two teams locked horns in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week, with the Catalan giants thrashing the Belgian champions 5-0 at home in Montjuic.
The teenage talent played the full 90 minutes for the Belgian champions, but he did not have the best of performances. Before the game, however, during the traditional lunch involving officials from both camps, the subject of Vermeeren was brought up.
The report states that Barcelona director Deco and his Royal Antwerp counterpart Marc Overmars discussed the 18-year-old midfield prospect on Tuesday. But there was no talk regarding the financial side of things, and the talks were largely centred around sporting matters.
As such, Royal Antwerp are very much aware of the growing interest in Vermeeren from Barcelona and other clubs and have set the young midfielder’s valuation at €20 million ahead of a possible exit next summer.
There appears to be no shortage of interest in Vermeeren’s services, however, which could pose an issue for Barcelona.
The report claims that Bundesliga giants Manchester United are very much in the hunt for the 18-year-old midfield prodigy and had already contacted the player’s entourage. Erik Ten Hag “loves” the player and views him as a potential long-term successor for Casemiro, who will turn 32 years old in February and whose waning performances have attracted criticism this campaign.
This could become a problem for Barça, as the growing interest could lead to Vermeeren’s asking price going up beyond the current €20 million valuation. It remains to be seen how this situation develops before next summer.
