Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen set for Napoli move

Thomas Vermaelen's agent has confirmed an approach from Napoli over a prospective move.

The 28-year-old Arsenal defender has attracted interest from a number of clubs including Manchester United but his representative Alex Kroes says there will be no discussions about the Belgian's future until after the World Cup in Brazil.

'Yes Napoli have been on the player and have stepped forward, but other clubs have also shown their interest and not just Italian clubs,' he said. 'At the moment we are not thinking about it. There's a World Cup to be played and we will postpone any discussions until afterwards,' Kroes told calciomercato.com.

'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.'

A sharp decline in form over the last couple of years has seen the Belgian become just a bit-part player at the Emirates while Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have developed a formidable partnership at the centre of defence.