Arsenal could bring "the new Andres Iniesta" to north London as Mikel Arteta addresses his midfield this January.
The Gunners are top of the league but have had a number of issues with their midfield this season. Thomas Partey's unavailability has hampered the Gunners, as Arteta searches for a long-term option to slot in alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
Former Chelsea stars Jorginho and Kai Havertz have held down the third starting place in the middle – but now, another option has emerged on the transfer market.
Tuttomercato reports that a concrete bid is being prepared for Belgian wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren.
Former Arsenal star Marc Overmars – now director of football at Royal Antwerp, where Vermereen plays – has previously compared the starlet to Barcelona legends, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, stating that Vermeeren can reach the top of the game in time.
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Incredibly, however, TEAMtalk claimed last month that a move was "agreed", citing a fee of €15 million (£13.1m). An agreement seems incredibly premature, however, while the fee would lower than plenty of Belgian league transfers, with Milan midfielder Charles De Ketelaere currently the record at over €30m.
Vermeeren is capable of playing as a No.6 or a No.8 and would likely be a longer-term project than the likes of Havertz or Rice, needing time to adapt. Whether Arteta would be patient enough to trust a youngster with first-team football in a title run-in remains to be seen, too.
Given that Arsenal have several extremely bright prospects emerging in the centre of the park, such as Myles Lewis-Skelley, Ethan Nwaneri and Charlie Patino, any player brought in this winter would have to be signed with the intention of allowing youth to bloom in coming years in that position.
Vermeeren is valued at €25 million by Transfermarkt.
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