Arsène Wenger has admitted Thomas Vermaelen may leave Arsenal. Arsenal’s club captain has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, where he would link up with his former manager at Ajax, Louis van Gaal.

On Friday, at a press conference before this weekend’s Emirates Cup, Wenger 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.

“I expect him to stay but he, of course, did not play enough games last year. For me he’s a very important player but I couldn’t guarantee him the games he wanted last year.”

Arsène Wenger on a possible exit for Thomas Vermaelen Guardian

Wenger ruled out a move for Porto’s Colombian playmaker Juan Fernando Quintero, who has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates over the past 24 hours. But he said was not finished in the transfer market despite signing Alexis Sánchez, Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and Calum Chambers already this summer.

“I am very happy because I did what I wanted and I am still hoping to do more,” he said. “We are a bit ahead of what we usually do because the availability on the market was bigger than before.”

Wenger dismissed Steven Gerrard’s claims that Luis Suárez was too good to move to Arsenal last summer. The Gunners looked to land the Liverpool forward 12 months ago with a bid of £40million plus one pound – but the move proved unsuccessful and the Uruguay international went on to start for a Liverpool side fighting for the title.

Suárez, currently banned from all football for four months after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup group game, has now moved to Barcelona – with Gerrard admitting he had told the 27-year-old to stay put last year.

“You’re never too good for Arsenal and Steven Gerrard knows that,” said Wenger. “But I can understand completely that he asked him to stay because he wanted him [Suárez] to play with him and have a chance to win the Premier League. But it didn’t happen, and anyway, Suárez left.”