Barcelona permits Vermaelen to attend Roma medical

Barcelona have confirmed that defender Thomas Vermaelen has been given permission to travel to Italy and undergo a medical with Roma.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti on Friday stated that the Serie A club are in advanced talks to sign the 30-year-old Belgium international.

And Barca on Sunday posted a tweet announcing the former Arsenal player was set for a physical examination in the Italian capital.

Vermaelen has struggled for playing time at Camp Nou since leaving the Gunners for a reported €20million fee in 2014.A thigh injury meant he was unable to make his Barca debut until the final match of the 2014-15 LaLiga season against Deportivo La Coruna, and he only made 15 starts in all competitions last term.

The arrival of France international Samuel Umtiti from Lyon in the off-season would have been likely to leave Vermaelen further down the pecking order in the battle for first-team places at the back for Luis Enrique’s team.

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