Vermaelen agent admits Napoli interest but puts transfer talks on hold

Thomas Vermaelen's agent has confirmed Napoli's interest in the Arsenal defender but revealed that his future will not be decided until after the World Cup.

Goal revealed in February that Napoli had stepped up their interest in Vermaelen, who has slipped down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium in the last 18 months.

But Alex Kroes says that talks are on hold until after this summer's tournament in Brazil, where Vermaelen will represent Belgium.

	ARSENAL LATEST
1/6	Arsenal are 1/6 with William Hill to finish in the top four

"At the moment we are not thinking about it," Kroes told calciomercato.com. "There's a World Cup to be played and we will postpone any discussions until afterwards.

"Yes, Napoli have been on the player and have stepped forward but other clubs have also shown their interest and not just Italian clubs.

"You cannot say, though, that the player is close to a transfer to Napoli.

"I repeat: wait until after the World Cup, where Vermaelen is going to do his best, then we will consider any kind of offer regarding his future."

Vermaelan, 28, recently returned to the Arsenal line-up due to injuries to Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal but missed Sunday's 3-0 win at Hull City.