Chelsea has been handed a transfer boost in their pursuit of Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal. According to recent reports in the English media, the Bayern Munich player has refused to commit his long-term future to the Bundesliga champions, which has given the Premier League champions a major boost in their quest to land his signature in the near future. The 30-year-old midfielder is out of contract in the summer and has recently been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. However, the Chilean international is expected to stay at the Allianz Arena this month. In a recent interview with a German news outlet, Vidal was quoted to have said, “I’ll stay here until the summer, then we’ll see what happens.”
The German giants are close to agreeing to a deal with Schalke 04 midfielder Leon Goretzka ahead of a summer move and his arrival in Munich could pave the way for the Chilean to depart the club at the end of the season. Vidal has previously worked with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte during their time at Juventus and might be tempted to join the Italian manager in west London next season. In a previous interview, Conte was asked of a possible reunion with Vidal to which he responded, “I must be honest, it’s not right to talk about a player of another team. Especially if you try to link this player with us. July is very far.”
It is also being reported that Vidal is gathering interest from Manchester United. A Chilean journalist has claimed on Twitter, “Arturo Vidal will continue at Bayern Munich all season. In June he will still have one year of the contract and has offers from China and Italy. Chelsea and Manchester United are interested too.”
Chelsea are currently sitting in third place in the Premier League standings with a tally of 50 points in 24 league matches. Although, they are a massive 15 points behind league leaders, Manchester City who are well on course to win the league title this season. The potential transfer of the Chilean to Stamford Bridge could prove to be a clever addition to the Blues squad which might help them bridge the gap to Pep Guardiola’s City in the next campaign. Vidal has featured in 25 matches for Bayern Munich this season, scoring 5 goals and making two assists in all competitions so far. It remains to be seen whether the east London club are successful in their pursuit of the veteran midfielder next summer.
