Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has admitted club captain Thomas Vermaelen could leave the north London side after seeing himself fall down the pecking order at the Emirates.
The Belgian center-back, who signed for the Gunners from Dutch side Ajax back in 2009, immediately became a hit at Arsenal, being named skipper upon the departure of Robin van Persie.
However, the 28-year-old defender has found playing time hard to come by recently, losing his position to the Gunners' preferred defensive duo of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, only managing seven appearances in the English Premier League (per Whoscored).
This has lead to interest from Manchester United, Barcelona, and Napoli in Vermaelen, with Louis van Gaal tipped as favorite to land the Belgiam.
Thomas Vermaelen's time at Arsenal has turned sour, with the Belgian seeing himself become a bit part player at the Emirates
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When asked if a departure for the Arsenal captain remained a possibility, Le Prof revealed Vermaelen could quit the FA Cup holders.
"At the moment, he is here," said Wenger. "It could happen. Yes, it's a possibility that he goes and if he goes we have to replace him because he is an important player in our squad.
"I expect him to stay but of course he did not play enough games last year. For me he is a very important player but I couldn’t give him the games that he wanted last year so I will see."
The Gunners captain could leave the north London side, revealed the French boss
Wenger, a coach known for being frugal in transfer windows, though mainly due to financial restraints, claims he is still open to bringing in more new players, despite already spending over £60m this summer.
"I'm still open to do more and let's not forget we are on the first of August today and the transfer window closes on the first of September," the Frenchman stated.
Despite spending over £60m this summer, parting with £35m to land marquee signing Alexis Sanchez, Wenger is still keen on further addtions before the transfer window shuts
