Barcelona interested in Royal Antwerp midfielder and Manchester United target Arthur Vermeeren

Manchester United target Arthur Vermeeren, who plays for Royal Antwerp, is ‘attracting interest’ from Barcelona ahead of next summer, according to Sport (h/t Manchester Evening News).

The Red Devils have already made contact with the 18-year-old. In the Old Trafford side’s discussions with the midfielder’s representatives, they have enquired whether a move in the upcoming transfer window would be feasible.

However, the Blaugrana also have the youngster on their radar. The Belgium U19 international has caught a lot of people’s attention with his performances this season.

Vermeeren made his way through the youth ranks at Antwerp. In the current campaign, the 18-year-old has broken into the Belgian outfit’s first team.

The youngster is a versatile midfielder but has mostly played in the number six position. In the current campaign, he has made 32 appearances in all competitions for Mark van Bommel’s team, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

For now, Barcelona have an abundance of talent in the middle of the park. The Camp Nou side have the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, and Frank Kessie in their ranks. However, Sergio Busquets is set to depart the Catalan outfit at the end of the season.

2005 – @official_rafc's Arthur Vermeeren (7 February 2005) is the player born in or after 2005 with the most minutes in the Top 10 European Leagues this season (1987). Desired. pic.twitter.com/Brtxpu0YfS

— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) May 26, 2023

As for United, we bolstered our midfield ranks last summer with the addition of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. However, both of them turned 31 in February.

We also have Fred in the squad, who is not young anymore. Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek have also been at the club for years but have been unable to make a place for themselves in the starting lineup.

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Therefore, we could evidently do with some fresh blood in the engine room. Vermeeren has shown great promise so far. However, will Barcelona pip us to his signature? Only time will tell.