Thomas Vermaelen Set to Hold Talks with Arsene Wenger Regarding Future

Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen is set to hold talks with Arsene Wenger regarding his future at the Emirates.

According to the Daily Mail, the Belgian, who returned to training last week but did not travel to Austria for the training camp will sit down with Wenger and discuss his future at the club.

The 28-year-old defender has been relegated to the bench after the emergence of Laurient Koscielny and Per Mertesacker as the first-choice centre-back pairing for Arsenal during the previous campaign. He also lost his place in the Belgium first XI owing to his lack of football for the Gunners.

Moreover, the arrival of Calum Chambers, whom Wenger is looking to groom as a central defender in the long-term will also threaten his position in the team.

Vermaelen has been linked strongly to Manchester United throughout the summer transfer window, with Louis van Gaal being a big admirer of the former Ajax defender. And more recently Barcelona have also entered the fray and are interested in taking the defender to Camp Nou.

It is claimed that the Belgian international is not keen on forcing a move away from the club, but sources close to the player believe that he is open to a move this summer.

Wenger, will have to decide whether to cash in on his club captain or risk losing him on a free transfer next summer as Vermaelen is on the final year of his contract with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Gunners star Aaron Ramsey is looking forward to the Emirates Cup, it's a tournament hosted by Arsenal as part of their pre-season preparations and this year along with the hosts the fans will get to watch Valencia, Benfica and AS Monaco vying for the trophy.

"The Emirates Cup always brings good teams who have played at the highest level and this year it's no different. Both teams have some really good players," Ramsey told Arsenal's official site.

"It's a great test for us before the season starts, even though we'll still be building up for then. It will be nice to get that competitive football," the Welsh international added.