FC Barcelona will soon be recruiting its eighth new face for the next season. According to a deal between Barça and Arsenal FC, the 28-year-old Belgian defender, Thomas Vermaelen, is all set to sign for the Catalans.

Quoting sources, Barça Blaugranes reports that FC Barcelona and the Gunners have agreed on a €14 million ($18,791,080) transfer fee for the Belgian international footballer to sign a four-year contract with Barça. It is expected that an official announcement regarding the deal will be made shortly.

After Thomas Vermaelen became a star defender for Eredivisie's Ajax he was acquired by Arsenal in 2009. Gaining the club's respect quickly, Vermaelen became the captain of the team, winning the 2013/14 FA Cup, in addition to lifting a trophy for the Gunners for the first time since 2005.

In spite of being a leader, Vermaelen did not have many opportunities to perform on the field last season, which eventually led to disenchantment. Since rumors of a battle between Barça and Manchester United for his services started surfacing, he never said publicly that he wanted to stay with Arsenal, which led to much speculation about his future.

Vermaelen's departure became more probable when Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger did not hide that his captain could be leaving the club. He said, "At the moment Thomas Vermaelen is here. He is injured at the moment with a short-term injury. It (a move) could happen, yes it's a possibility that he goes. If he goes we have to replace him because he's an important player in our squad."

Meanwhile, Barcelona is reported to be working to sign a much-needed center-back. A deficiency in the center of the team's defense has been evident for several seasons and has been worsened following the retirement of stalwart Carles Puyol. Considering that the club currently has a, albeit temporarily, suspended transfer ban hanging over their heads, it is an issue that now needs to be addressed.

Currently, Barcelona is said to be mainly targeting Valencia's Jeremy Mathieu, but it appears that the two clubs have reached an impasse. While the 30-year-old center-back has already been the subject of a bid from Barcelona, Valencia are adamant that they will not sell for less than his €20 million ($26,844,400) release clause. However, Mathieu has issued a statement outlining his desire to make the transfer and urged with Valencia to negotiate.

Marca quotes Mathieu saying, "I am not hiding the fact that this would be a step forward in my career; it is a reward for my hard work and efforts and is a unique opportunity that any player would jump at."