Manchester United face a considerable battle for Arthur Vermeeren with ‘almost every top European club’ showing interest in the Premier League-linked Royal Antwerp midfielder.
The Belgian champions might have found themselves on the losing side once again on Wednesday – following up that 5-0 shellacking by Barcelona with a 3-2 collapse at home to Shakhtar Donetsk – but Arthur Vermeeren is certainly seizing the opportunity to prove that he belongs on the biggest stage.
The 18-year-old playmaker held his own in Barcelona; justifying comparisons with Andres Iniesta and the Blaugrana’s legend-turned–coach Xavi Hernandez.
Vermeeren, linked with a £20 million move to Manchester United by the Daily Mail and a range of other publications, then set up both of Antwerp’s goals against Shakhtar this week, showcasing the vision and the guile which underpins his ‘Belgian Iniesta’ moniker.
Manchester United eye up Arthur Vermeeren
Unsurprisingly, with Vermeeren the driving force behind Royal Antwerp’s first Jupiler League title since 1957 before his 19th birthday, Erik ten Hag’s side are not the only European powerhouse watching one of the continent’s most exciting young midfielders like a hungry hawk hovering over a poor fieldmouse.
“Almost every top European club has already inquired and is following that boy,” Antwerp CEO Sven Jacques tells MIDMID.
“That doesn’t mean that they will all make an offer. Some go a little further than others. I think this is one of those cases where, if one team really pushes through, the others will come too.”
Jacques, it seems, is expecting offers to come tumbling in like sauce flying out of a ketchup bottle. Should Manchester United make a bid in the New Year, that could conceivably kick-start a bidding war encompassing much of Europe, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Newcastle also among Vermeeren’s many admirers.
The Belgian Andres Iniesta
“I can see that, yes,” Gent veteran Sven Kums, who has come up agianst Vermeeren in Belgium, tells Het Nieuwsblad. “To perform like this at such a young age is incredible. Vermeeren is a very good but also a beautiful footballer.
“I don’t know what is true of what you read about the interest of big teams, but it wouldn’t surprise me (if they did want to sign him).”
“He is a type who can easily play anywhere at a higher level,” Kums adds. “He misplaces little to no passes, reads the game well, plays fast, and can set the temp. He has everything a midfielder of his style needs.
“You see that he scans a lot. He always chooses position wisely. You can train for that a bit, but I guess you either have something like that or you don’t. And he has that.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
