Thomas Vermaelen Will Decide Arsenal Future After FA Cup Final

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen has put talks over a new contract on hold until after the club's FA Cup final meeting with Hull City.

The Belgian international has been persistently linked with a move away from the Emirates after losing his place in Arsene Wenger's starting XI towards the end of the 2012/13 season.

The formidable partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker at the heart of the Gunners' defence has ensured Vermaelen's first team opportunities have come infrequently or at left back in the absence of Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal.

Having attracted interest from Serie A giants Napoli it has been suggested the 28-year-old may seek a move in order to rediscover first team football although he insists any decisions regarding his future will wait until after Saturday's Wembley meeting with Steve Bruce's side.

"It is not important at the moment, my future," Vermaelen was quoted as saying by ITV Sport.

"We are in front of an FA Cup final and my focus is there. My future is not important at the moment. We know there has been a lot of talk about not winning a trophy for a long time and so for us it would be important to win the final."

Arsenal have already secured the long-term futures of Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Mertesacker, Aaron Ramsey, Wojciech Szczesny, Serge Gnabry and midfield prospect Gedion Zelalem, but it remains to be seen whether Vermaelen will be offered a similar deal with just one more year remaining on his current contract.

Arsenal are also no closer to addressing the future of Bacary Sagna, who looks set to leave the club this summer having failed to agree to a new contract in north London. The full back, an arrival from Auxerre in 2007, is likely to feature for the Gunners in Saturday's final but admits his future lies away from north London.

"I'm out of contract, as everyone knows. I still consider myself as an Arsenal player at present,' he said.

"But actually we had a small problem to agree [with the club], and I don't think stay at Arsenal at the end of the season."