‘Ten Hag fights Barcelona’ for ‘golden boy’ and Man Utd are ‘most interested’ in €75m goalkeeper
According to rumors, Man Utd and FC Barcelona are both interested in Royal Antwerp's Arthur Vermeeren, a Belgian U19 international.
At the senior level, the 18-year-old has already had a significant impact on Royal Antwerp. He has appeared in 32 games for the Belgium Cup champions this year and has earned three U19 caps for his nation.
The center-midfielder has already drawn interest from a number of clubs in Europe, and Erik ten Hag reportedly advised Manchester United to ‘battle Barcelona for the signing of the gem’, according to the Spanish publication Nacional.
Vermeeren is ‘well-positioned’ to land a transfer to the Spanish giants and is seen by Barcelona as a potential ‘low cost’ replacement for Ruben Neves and Joshua Kimmich.
Vermeeren can be had for a “very reasonable” cost because his compensation “would not exceed 10 million euros.”
In their chase of Vermeeren, the La Liga team has “encountered a problem” because Man Utd “have been amazed” by his recent development.
In the race for Vermeeren, United ‘may leapfrog’ Barcelona because the Spanish team has not yet made a ‘formal bid’ for the young player.
However, it appears that Barcelona is a big fan of the untested midfielder. According to the article, Vemeeren would be a better alternative than Martin Zubimendi to succeed Sergio Busquets.
This summer, it’s anticipated that the Red Devils will get stronger in a number of areas. It is believed that Ten Hag is focused on finding a new striker and has Harry Kane as one of his top priorities.
As they search for a long-term replacement for David De Gea, a new goalkeeper appears to be on their radar.
They are reportedly close to signing David Raya from Brentford, although Diogo Costa of Porto is also on their radar.
‘Most repeatedly interested’ in Costa, according to Record (via Sport Witness).
The goalkeeper is ‘protected’ by a €75 million release clause, and the source notes that Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich are also interested in him.
In the summer, De Gea’s contract expires. Ten Hag has stated that Man Utd “want him to stay” despite being connected to a number of prospective alternatives.
“I believe we want him to remain, and he wants to remain, so I believe we will reunite.”
Ten Hag stated, in response to a question regarding the delay, “I never give a comment about how negotiations are going.”
“Like we did this season, we can still get better with this squad. I have to work with my coaching staff to do that. We made tremendous progress, and many people made progress. We now have a solid foundation.
