Barcelona sent Manchester United warning in battle for £20m new Iniesta

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Barcelona have been warned that they risk missing out on Arthur Vermeeren with Manchester United also in pursuit of the Royal Antwerp midfielder.

Sven Jacques, the CEO of the reigning Belgian champions, was not exaggerating when he said back in October that ‘almost every top European club has already enquired’ about Arthur Vermeeren.

Manchester United, per the Daily Mail, are big admirers of the 18-year-old. His reputation soaring after helping Royal Antwerp to their first league title since the 1950s. Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal are also reportedly in the mix, while Barcelona have been watching Vermeeren closely over the last 12 months.

Get ready, then, for a good old-fashioned bidding war. Offers piling up like an avalanche on Jacques’ desk over the coming months.

Manchester United in Arthur Vermeeren race

Barcelona director Deco held talks with his Antwerp counterpart Marc Overmars following the recent Champions League group-stage clash between the two clubs, though the Blaugrana are now being warned that they risk missing out unless they turn their interest into something a little more concrete in the near future (Mundo Deportivo).

Of course, this may just be Royal Antwerp’s way of driving up Vermeeren’s price-tag, the teenager already valued at £20 million. But with various other clubs readying offers of their own – Manchester United potentially among them – Barcelona certainly won’t have a clear run at a player who has frequently been labelled Belgium’s answer to Camp Nou icon Andres Iniesta.

“I have no doubt that he (is a player at) a fantastic level,” Overmars, who worked with embattled United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, told Cadena Ser a few weeks back. “The first time I saw him, he reminded me of Xavi and Iniesta. A footballer of the same profile.”

‘The Belgian Andres Iniesta’

Considering that Vermeeren is likely to have his pick of the European giants, you’d be forgiven for wondering why on earth a player of his promise and potential would dare chose Manchester United, the Red Devils lurching once again from crisis to catastrophe.

His poise in possession and his ability to build up play with smart, incisive passes through the lines may be exactly what Ten Hag needs, however, successive 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle exposing a midfield who’s technical ceiling is barely off the floor these days.