Atletico Madrid are preparing to sign Arthur Vermeeren from Royal Antwerp. The promising midfielder waved goodbye to his supporters ahead of completion of the €22m plus add-ons switch to the La Liga side.
🔴⚪️👋🏻 Arthur Vermeeren says goodbye to Royal Antwerp fans tonight…
…his move to Atlético Madrid is at final stages, expected to be completed very soon.pic.twitter.com/iFMrXNoR2t
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 24, 2024
The deal comes on the day that Atletico were reportedly keen on bringing Celtic’s Matt O’Riley to Spain. The Danish midfielder has been the standout player in Scotland this year as well as Europe. The suggestion is that the Spaniards are keen on a loan to buy deal for O’Riley. The player has scored 10 times and assisted on 12 occasions in the 29 appearances this season.
Celtic are in a strong position to retain the player, given he signed a new deal earlier this season that will protect the club’s value of him – which would exceed the sale price of Jota.
Celtic should be keeping their best players until at least the summer as there is a title race to win. Brendan Rodgers has stressed the need for quality in the transfer market; however, the club have just signed Nicolas Kuhn from Rapid Vienna.