Napoli have joined Barcelona and Manchester United in the chase to sign Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal.
The 28-year-old joined the Gunners from Dutch side Ajax in 2009 for an initial fee of €10 million and signed a four-year contract with the North London club. In October 2011, he signed a contract extension which would keep him at the club for an additional four years.
According to the Daily Mail, the Partenopei have joined the La Liga and Premier league giants in the race for Vermaelan’s signature and with his contract due to expire in 2015, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger might look to cash in now rather than lose the player on a free transfer next summer.
It’s thought Wenger would prefer if the Belgian joined a team outside the Premier League as he doesn’t want to strengthen their nearest rivals before the start of the new season.
Vermaelen only made 14 Premier League appearances in 2013/2014 with Wenger preferring Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny as his first choice central defensive partnership.
