Barcelona sign Thomas Vermaelen

Barcelona have successfully completed the signing of Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen from Arsenal on a five-year deal, according to the club's official Twitter account.

The centre-back has been long linked with a switch away from the Emirates, following the lack of first-team opportunities at the club last season, with manager Arsene Wenger opting for Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny as his preferred central defensive pairing.

Manchester United were initially considered favourites to sign the talented centre-back, but the were unwilling to agree on a player-swap deal and this paved the way for Barca to seal his services.

According to the Catalan giants' official Twitter account, it has been revealed that Vermaelen has signed up on a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £15m.

Vermaelen scored 15 goals in 150 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions.