Roma sign Thomas Vermaelen

Roma have completed the signing of former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen on a season-long loan. The Belgian joins the Giallorossi following a dismal spell with Barcelona.

Vermaelen had been linked with a possible return to the Emirates last week after it emerged that Barca would be willing to cash in on his services.

Since then, the Catalan giants have received numerous offers with Roma being the ones to express concrete interest in the defender.

Luciano Spalletti's side have paid an initial £1.5m fee for the player with the option of making the deal permanent for £8m next year.

The 30-year-old appeared in just 11 league games for Barca following his switch from Arsenal in 2014. He was recently part of the Marc Wilmots' side that reached the quarter-final stage of Euro 2016.