Barca thank Vermaelen for turning down United in favour of them
The Belgium international was close to signing at the Theatre of Dreams before deciding a switch to La Liga would suit him better.
The 13-time Premier League champions were keen on signing Vermaelen to help cushion the blow of losing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic this summer, but the Catalonia side are thankful he didn’t.
“He had offers from one of the biggest clubs in world football and we appreciate the fact that he chose to come here instead,” Zubizarreta was quoted by the Daily Mail.