Arsene Wenger confirmed yesterday that Manchester United had made an offer for Thomas Vermalen but he would rather sell the defender abroad with Barcelona also interested.

Speaking to press after an opening training session for fans at the Ashburton Grove, Wenger was asked if there had been any bids for Vermalen.

There has been speculation linking the Belgian with a move away from London all summer, with the Frenchman finally admitting that the club have received offers.

“Have we received bids? Yes. I can’t tell you who from but you will know very soon,” Wenger said.

“Are Man United one of the teams to have made an offer? I think they could be in the group. He could leave, it could happen, I’ve said that since the start of pre-season.

“He needs to play now. He has shown an outstanding attitude but he is in a position where we wouldn’t stand in his way if he finds an interesting opportunity.”

According to reports in Spain, a meeting took place yesterday in London between representatives from Barcelona and Arsenal as the two parties attempted to finalise a deal for the Arsenal captain. 

A deal with the Spanish side is Wenger’s best option after the negative reaction he got from fans when Robin van Persie left the Gunners to join United three seasons ago.

Wenger added: “Ideally, yes, we would like to sell him abroad and that is an option for us.

“I don’t want to say how many offers we have but we have offers from abroad as well.”

Wenger also took another swipe at Manchester City regarding their signing of Frank Lampard.

“I don’t need to describe you Frank Lampard, he is quality,” Wenger said. “It was just a surprise that he went to Man City because he went to New York in fact. And the shortest way to travel to Manchester is not to go to New York first. If you look at the map there is a shorter way.”