Indeed it would be silly to think clubs have not watched him and imagined him in a shirt representing their own side, so perhaps news that Barcelona are eyeing him up for a summer transfer should be taken seriously.
Barcelona are reportedly looking for another central defender to bolster the back-line, and have considered several options with AC Milan's Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, being their number one choice.
However, an offer of over £30 million from Paris Saint Germain has already been rejected by Milan, and it is thought Barcelona will not be willing to spend that amount on a 27 year-old defender.
Now they have, so the Daily Mail say, turned their attentions towards Arsenal's defensive talisman, Vermaelen. Arsene Wenger of course will not entertain the prospect of losing such an important player to Barcelona, and will, like AC Milan, reject any bid made for the 26 year-old Belgian defender.
Furthermore, only a few days ago, Vermaelen effectively committed his future to Arsenal, by saying rather definitively: “I will stay at Arsenal forever. There will be no transfer for me. I love London. I’ve got a house there, I’m happy there and I don’t see any reason to ever leave the club."
Unless Wenger suddenly decides there is no need for Vermaelen in his side, and Vermaelen has a sudden and extreme change of heart, Barcelona will have to look elsewhere.
So it seems that if the story is true, and Barcelona are interested in the former Ajax man who has spent three seasons at the Emirates, they will have a lot of persuading to do, and will need a significant amount of money to spend. Otherwise, this seems a no-go for the former European Champions.
