Antwerp sold the midfielder to Atlético Madrid for around €20m in January 2024, but Vermeeren was unable to force his way into Diego Simeone's plans in Madrid.
Within six months he had moved on again, initially on loan to RB Leipzig before that switch was made permanent once the terms of the original agreement were met.
His time in Germany has proved similarly difficult. Vermeeren spent last season out on loan at Marseille, where he made 20 appearances in Ligue 1, starting ten of them and registering a single assist, but never fully established himself under Roberto De Zerbi or his successor.
Marseille opted against triggering their option to sign him permanently, sending him back to Leipzig this summer with his long-term future still unresolved.
RB Leipzig have now confirmed on their official website that Vermeeren will spend the rest of the 2026/27 season back at Antwerp, the club where he broke through as a teenager and won the Belgian league and cup double in 2022/23 before his move abroad.
The loan runs until next summer and does not include a purchase option, meaning Leipzig retain full control over his future beyond this season regardless of how he performs.
For Vermeeren, the move represents a chance to rebuild momentum in familiar surroundings after three years of stalled progress across Spain, Germany and France failed to produce the breakthrough many expected when he first left Belgium.
He remains a full Belgium international, having earned six senior caps, and Antwerp will hope a return to the club that shaped him can help restore the form that first made him one of the most coveted young midfielders in the country.
The structure of the deal mirrors another loan arrangement involving a Leipzig forward earlier in the window, with the club again choosing a straightforward temporary move rather than attach any conditions that might commit them to a permanent departure.
Vermeeren made 64 consecutive starts for Antwerp across all competitions during his breakout run before his move to Spain, a level of consistency he has since struggled to replicate at any of his subsequent clubs.