Man Utd and Arsenal transfer blow as Atletico Madrid beat Premier League duo to signing of Belgian wonderkid

ATLETICO MADRID have announced that they have beaten a host of Premier League clubs to the signature of Belgian wonderkid Arthur Vermeeren.

The 18-year-old midfielder had a lengthy queue chasing his services following his breakthrough at Royal Antwerp.

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The teen played a huge role in leading the club to a first Pro League title in 66 years last term and that led to scouts from Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea all heading to watch him.

Vermeeren, who made his international debut in October against Austria, had also attracted the attention of Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona.

But due to a number of teams struggling to stay within FFP rules, most were prepared to put it on the backburner until the summer.

Now they have been punished for their hesitancy after Atleico swooped to sign Vermeeren.

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Diego Simeone’s LaLiga side have paid an initial £15.4million to Antwerp for him.

And that could eventually rise to £19.7m due to add-ons.

Antwerp could also bank a tidy sum if Vermeeren departs the Spanish capital.

That is because the package also includes a 10 per cent sell-on clause.

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Although they may have to wait some time to get any cash from that.

Atletico confirmed in their transfer announcement that the starlet had penned a mega six-and-a-half year contract until 2020.

Vermeeren played over 60 times for Antwerp, including every minute of their Champions League campaign this season, and scored in the 3-2 win over Barcelona.

Now he will be looking for more silverware in Spain to go with the league title, Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup he won at his old employers.

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