In a move designed to thwart rivals Manchester United the Daily Star is reporting that Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to pay a club record fee of £44 million for Chilean international attacking midfielder Arturo Vidal.
The 27-year-old Vidal has been very impressive since joining Serie A giants Juventus in 2011 from Bayer Leverkusen, and is currently on display in Brazil helping Chile to reach the last-16 of the tournament.
The news of Arsenal’s interest comes just a day after Arsene Wenger praised him on French television saying: “Vidal is one of the best midfielders in the world.
“He has everything. Incredible stamina, perfect timing. He’s a marathon athlete who plays football.”
The news of the Gunners interest will come as a huge disappointment for Manchester United who were said to be trying to get the midfielder for around the £30 million mark with new manager Louis van Gaal admitting he tried to sign Vidal for his former club Bayern Munich:
“I always wanted to buy Vidal when he was at Bayer Leverkusen but he went to Juventus.”
Arsenal’s admission of being ready to pay £44 million could now thwart any interest from Manchester United after the club just spent £59 million on Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera.
