Polski Sport

Spanish giants Barcelona are reportedly planning to renew the contract of defender Thomas Vermaelen for another season. The Belgium international got his chance to impress for the Blaugrana when Samuel Umtiti was injured, and his performances have been impressive to the extent that the club are willing to discuss a new deal.

According to Sport, talks are already underway between Vermaelen and the club’s hierarchy, and there is a sense of optimism that an agreement will be reached. Should this not be the case, the club are likely to place him in the transfer market to recover their investment rather than risking him for the final year of his Catalan contract.

Earlier in October, the centre-back had voiced his concern over the lack of opportunities in the starting line-up, and there has been a suggestion that he could leave the club during the winter transfer window. However, in the months which followed, Valverde decided to play him ahead of Javier Mascherano as the club’s third-choice defender behind Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique.
Vermaelen has since filled in efficiently when one of Umtiti or Pique have been missing from the starting line-up, and Barcelona are now hoping to prolong his deal until 2020 irrespective of their capture of Yerry Mina in January. Mina was highly regarded by Barca scouts prior to his arrival but Ernesto Valverde is prepared to wait until next season before making the Colombian, a key part of his plans.
Meanwhile, Vermaelen is apparently attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League and Serie A but he remains content to stay put at Barcelona, who have helped him through his injury struggles earlier in his Blaugrana career.Some may stay that Vermaelen is fortuitous to be still associated with the Blaugrana, but he continues to earn the respect from the players around him.