Barcelona face Manchester United, Liverpool competition for €25 million-rated teenage midfielder

Arthur Vermeeren is a name that has been doing the rounds in the Barcelona spheres for quite some time now.

The Royal Antwerp midfield prodigy has risen to prominence over the past year or so, having helped his club win the Belgian league title during the 2022/23 season.

With the Catalan giants looking for a young pivot midfielder for 2024, Vermeeren’s name has been on the radars for a while now.

In fact, his name was broached when the two clubs met earlier this season in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Premier League competition for Vermeeren

However, now, Gabriel Sans of Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Barcelona are not the sole admirers of Vermeeren and his talents.

Indeed, the report claims that the teenager is attracting interest from several clubs in the Premier League, and as such Royal Antwerp have warned Barcelona about the same.

Two teams from England who have shown an interest in the 18-year-old are Manchester United and Liverpool.

Both Premier League giants are looking to add more quality to their midfield unit and reportedly see the Belgian prospect as an option.

Vermeeren to cost around €25 million

Vermeeren signed a new contract with Royal Antwerp earlier this year, committing his future to the club until the summer of 2026.

However, with growing interest in him from giants of Europe like Barcelona, an exit during the summer transfer window is very much expected.

The report goes on to add that even though his market value is close to €17 million, Royal Antwerp will look to sell him for a higher fee of around €20 million to 25 million.

That sum might not be out of Barça’s reach, but with Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool also in the mix, it remains to be seen if the Catalans go after him.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.