Arsenal confirm United bid for Vermaelen

Well, aren't things developing quickly? This morning, we learned that United are reportedly prepared to outbid Barcelona for the services of Arsenal's unhappying, non-playing captain Thomas Vermaelen. And this afternoon, straight from the mouth of le Professeur himself, we learn that United have, in fact, made a bid for the Gunners' captain:

Wenger confirms bids have been made for Vermaelen. "Manchester United are part of the group (of bidders)" and added "he could leave.". #afc

— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) August 7, 2014

Wenger again on Vermaelen: " We have offers from abroad and ideally i would rather sell him to a club abroad."

— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) August 7, 2014

The good news: if United actually end up signing Vermaelen, they'll have an experienced leader who's probably more capable in a back three than he is in a back two -- if only by virtue of having an extra defender behind him to sweep up. The bad news: Vermaelen isn't that good, and Mats Hummels sounds an infinitely more attractive prospect.