Vermaelen to Leave Arsenal for Manchester United
By Opeyemi Oladunjoye
Arsenal captain, Thomas Vermaelen has agreed a deal to join Manchester United this summer.
United is expected to agree a fee with Arsenal after the World Cup, but Vermaelen hopes to move to Old Trafford and is preparing to leave the Emirates.
Arsenal is expected to receive about £10 million for the Central defender as he only has one year remaining on his Arsenal contract. He found himself pushed out of manager Arsene Wenger’s first-choice team by Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
The 28-year-old Belgian has been at Arsenal for five years after signing from Dutch club, Ajax. He got off to a superb start with the Gunners, but injuries curtailed his progress. New United manager, Louis van Gaal wants to strengthen United’s defence and believes Vermaelen can return to his superb form under him.
Vermaelen who earns around £70,000-a-week at Arsenal is believed to have verbally agreed a deal with the Reds that would see his wages rise to around £100,000-a-week. He is currently with the Belgium squad in Brazil for the World Cup, but wants his future sorted out as quickly as possible once the tournament ends.
Although Vermaelen is not a first-team starter for Arsenal any more, his departure to United would be another blow for Wenger after losing Bacary Sagna to Manchester City.