FC Barcelona acquired Thomas Vermaelen after striking a £15M transfer agreement with Arsenal during the weekend, the team announced on their official website.
According to an official statement posted on the FC Barcelona's official website, Vermaelen signed a five-year deal that would keep him at Camp Nou until after the 2019 season.
"Thomas Vermaelen is officially a Barca player after signing a five year deal at the Club this morning. Vermaelen was accompanied at the signing by Club President Josep Maria Bartomeu and sporting Vice-president Jordi Mestre," the club said in a statement.
Vermaelen drew strong interest from several top-tier teams, including Manchester United, but the 28-year-old eventually landed at Camp Nou. The veteran defender said that moving to Barcelona was not a hard decision to make despite strong interest from other clubs.
"I am very happy to be here. It's a dream move and a great challenge to be here," Vermaelen said via Marca.com. "I can't wait to train and play with the best players in the world, which will make me a better footballer. Barca are one of the best teams in the world, it wasn't a difficult decision to come."
Vermaelen only played in 14 English Premier League games for Arsenal last season as he slowed down by injuries, and the new Barca defender said that he wants to erase the bitter memory of last season's struggles.
"Last year was difficult with injuries, but that happens at times in a player's career. I think it was just a coincidence and I hope that I can play lots of matches here. I'm looking to the future, not at what happened last year, which was a shame," Vermaelen said.
Vermaelen is not expected to join Barcelona's training sessions soon as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained during Belgium's campaign in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
"It's not fun watching from the sidelines because of injury. I want to play. I'm going to start from scratch and I hope to get plenty of playing time here," Vermaelen added. "I was injured during the World Cup. I haven't trained with Arsenal so I've got a few weeks to get back to full fitness."
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