Barcelona are making a final offer for Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen and have dispatched a senior member of the club’s hierarchy to England.
Mundo Deportivo report that director of football Raul Sanllehi has travelled to England to finalise the move for the Belgium international.
Vermaelen became Barca’s primary centre-back target after it became clear Paris Saint-Germain weren’t going to sell Marquinhos.
The fee for Vermaelen has been put at €12.5m (£10m), with Vermaelen’s Arsenal contract due to expire next summer.
Vermaelen is officially the Arsenal captain but has fallen out of favour under Arsene Wenger, who prefers the pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
There have however been reports from England that say Manchester United are offering €19m (£15m) for the ex-Ajax defender, but Arsenal would prefer to sell abroad.
