Arsenal have been handed promising news in their rumoured pursuit of Arturo Vidal, as rumours suggesting Real Madrid had made an offer have been quashed by Juventus’ CEO.
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Chilean newspaper La Tercera claimed on Saturday that the Serie A champions had accepted a £21m offer from the La Liga BBVA giants, and would travel to the Copa America final to finalise a five-year contract with the Chile midfielder.
However, speculation surrounding the 28-year-old’s apparently imminent move to the Santiago Bernabeu has cooled considerably, and Juve CEO Giuseppe Marotta has spoken out to rubbish the reports:
“Vidal? It’s just rumours, Real Madrid have not come forward. We have a great relationship with them,” as quoted by the Mirror.
Have Marotta’s comments left the door open for a move for Vidal to switch to the Emirates Stadium?
The Gunners have been heavily linked with the former Bayer Leverkusen star’s signature this summer, with reports from the Daily Mail, at the end of June, claiming that the north London giants had agreed terms with the player.
While such speculation has proven to be false, the Metro state that Arsene Wenger has made Vidal a priority signing over the summer, and is willing to go to the wire to secure a deal.
Nicknamed ‘The Warrior’ for his tough tackling in the centre of the park, Vidal is an excellent box-to-box player, with strengths offensively and defensively.
Last season, he scored eight goals and registered four assists in all competitions, while averaging 3.3 tackles per-game.
Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin is also said to be on Wenger’s wish list [via the Daily Star], but the French manager is yet to act in the transfer window.