Arsenal Latest Including Thomas Vermaelen Leaving And Shaquiri Bid

According to the latest reports from Italy, AC Milan are planning to make a bid for Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen in the January transfer window.

Currently, the former Ajax defender is struggling to find a place in the Arsenal starting lineup. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are in a rock solid defensive partnership at the moment, which makes it even more difficult for Vermaelen to impress his manager on the pitch. With World cup arriving, like every other footballer, he would also like to get as many games as possible under his belt to make sure that he got selected for the football’s most prestigious tournament.

So, a move away from Emirates (to Milan) would be a good option for the Belgian center back. But in his latest interview ( Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad),  Vermaelen said,

“I am happy at Arsenal and at no time have I thought about leaving here.”

In other Arsenal news, the Gunners are keen on strengthening their depth in the wing areas. They are already linked with the likes of Rues, Di Maria, etc… Latest player now rumored to be on Arsenal’s radar is Bayern Munich’s Swiss midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.

Swiss website Infoticker reported that Arsenal are plotting an initial bid of 15m (in January) to lure the trickster away from the defending European champions.

Shaqiri has been playing for Bayern since his £10million move to the Bavarians in 2012 from FC Basel. With the likes of Robben and Ribery in the squad, his opportunities are a bit limited at the moment.

Gunners are trying to take advantage of the situation as they are confident that they can sign him in the winter window.

Scouting Shaqiri (video),