Arsenal close to signing Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax

Arsène Wenger is closing in on the €12m (£10.4m) capture of Ajax's Thomas Vermaelen and the Arsenal manager could yet move for a second centre-half, Brede Hangeland of Fulham. If Wenger can close the deals, it would place a question mark against the Arsenal futures of Kolo Touré and William Gallas, the first-choice central defensive pairing of this past season, who both endured difficult campaigns. Touré is attracting interest from Manchester City and Gallas is a long-term casualty with damaged knee ligaments.



Vermaelen, above left, is a Belgium international and the captain of Ajax at 23. Despite his tender years, he has emerged as a leader and his versatility also appeals to Wenger – he can play at left-back as well as in the middle of defence. Vermaelen, who is represented by Soren Lerby, the former Denmark international, has received an offer from Arsenal of a four-year contract. Lerby is expected to meet club officials later in the week in an attempt to close the deal.

Vermaelen has said he is keen on the switch. "Moving to Arsenal is the right path for me," he said. "It is a great sporting challenge and I will also be financially better off. I think everything is going to be OK. In the coming days, there will be more talks."

Fulham's manager, Roy Hodgson, has made keeping Hangeland his top priority for the summer but, despite initial talks, the 27-year-old has yet to sign an extension to his contract, amid fears that he is keeping his options open. Fulham would only countenance a sale if they were to receive a club-record fee, eclipsing the £12.8m Manchester United paid to them for the striker Louis Saha in January 2004.

As yet, there has been no official contact from Arsenal but a quirk of the club's interest in Hangeland, who has two years to run on his contract at Craven Cottage, is that he is represented by Rune Hauge, the Norwegian agent who was involved in the George Graham bungs scandal of the mid-1990s, which led to the manager's sacking by Arsenal.

Hodgson's other first-choice centre‑half, Aaron Hughes, is also set for contract talks as he enters the final 12 months of his deal.

Hope he does good for us.