Arsenal defender agrees Barcelona switch

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Arsenal over the transfer of Thomas Vermaelen, the clubs have announced.

The centre-back spent five years at the Emirates Stadium and made 150 appearances following his transfer from Ajax in 2009, and it is believed the Spanish club have paid around £15m.

Vermaelen, who has captained the Gunners for the past two seasons, was also a target of Man United, but has instead moved to the Camp Nou on a five-year deal after passing a medical.

Barca announced on their website that their latest acquisition, following the arrivals of Luis Suarez, Jeremy Mathieu, Ivan Rakitic and Claudio Bravo, will be unveiled to the media on Sunday 10 August.

Vermaelen was initially an integral part of Arsenal’s defence following his arrival in north London, but form and fitness have subsequently put his starting spot in jeopardy.

He fell out with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and was frequently on the bench last season, with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny the first-choice pairing at centre-back.

The Belgian made only 13 starts in all competitions and 21 appearances in total during the campaign, which concluded with him being an unused substitute in Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory over Hull as they collected their first trophy in nine years.