The Barcelona star has drawn interest from Southampton and Watford in the past.
News emanating from Spain today suggest that Barca are touting the services of Thomas Vermaelen to Premier League sides Southampton and Watford, with both clubs having previously shown interest in the Belgian, according to Spanish media outlet Sport.
The 31-year-old centre-back moved to the Camp Nou from Arsenal in the summer of 2014, for a fee believed to be in the region of £15 million, but has failed to impress for the Spanish giants. He spent last season on loan in Serie A with Roma, but that spell proved to be equally as disappointing, with the Italians deciding against taking up their option to sign him on a permanent deal.
Belgium’s Thomas Vermaelen
And Spanish outlet Sport claims that new Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde is keen to offload the 58-capped Belgium international, and has sounded out both the Saints and the Hornets regarding their potential interest.
Whilst Vermaelen is highly experienced in playing at the very highest level, he seems to have regressed rather dramatically over the past few seasons.
Southampton could be tempted to take a risk on the former Gunner, however, especially if Virgil van Dijk ends up leaving St Mary’s.
The left-footed centre-back still has two years remaining on his current deal with Barca, but with the La Liga side so keen to move him on, it will probably not prove to be too costly for either the Saints or Watford to sign him, if they decided on making a concrete offer.
Vermaelen in action for Barcelona
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