Manchester United are reportedly planning to offer a four-year long contract to Bayern Munich and Chile star Arturo Vidal in the summer.
Manchester United are pondering over a possible $60 million (£42 million) swoop for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal at the end of the season, a report from Chilean outlet La Cuarta has claimed.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is understood to be a huge admirer of the Chilean international and has reportedly sanctioned a four-year deal worth £240,000-a-week in wages, along with additional incentives for goals scored and trophies won, in order to bring the 30-year old to the Old Trafford in the summer.
Manchester United are keen on recruiting a central midfielder in the summer as the club are set to lose two of their first-team members, with club captain Michael Carrick set to hang up his boots and Maroaune Fellaini poised to leave at the expiry of his contract.
That would leave the Red Devils short on numbers in the middle of the park and Jose Mourinho is keen on addressing that, as he sets out to bring glory days back to Manchester United.
This is where the interest in Vidal comes into the picture. The 30-year old has spent more than 10 years of his career at top clubs in Europe, ever since he made the move from Colo Colo in Chile to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2007. The midfielder, after having spent four years with Leverkusen, had a hugely successful spell in Italy with Juventus between 2011 and 2015, before he joined Bayern Munich.
Since moving to the Allianz Arena, Vidal has notched up 123 appearances for Die Roten, scoring 22 goals and registering 18 assists in the process. In the ongoing campaign, the Chilean international has featured 34 times in all competitions, contributing with 6 goals and 2 assists.
A vastly experienced campaigner, with an extremely impressive CV that boasts of four Serie A titles during his time with Juventus and two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, with a third one very much on the cards, Vidal, despite being set to turn 31 years of age in May, will be a valuable addition to any squad.
Moreover, during his stint with Juve, Vidal played a key role in getting the best out of Manchester United’s record signing Paul Pogba, with the midfield partnership working wonders for the Bianconeri.
And Mourinho, who has been struggling to well and truly unleash the true potential of the Frenchman at Manchester United, is hoping that pairing him up with Vidal and Nemanja Matic, will help him achieve just that.
Vidal will be set to enter the final twelve months of his contract with Bayern at the end of the season. And with the German champions signing Leon Goretzka from Schalke, the 95-time capped Chile international’s chances in the first team are likely to take a hit with the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Corentin Tolisso also in the fray.
And at this stage of his career, a contract of £240,000-a-week is definitely going to appeal to the player. However, an offer of £42 million for a player in his thirties and in the final year of his contract does feel a tad too high. If Manchester United manage to get him for a reduced fee at the end of the season, it could prove to be a great piece of business for the club.
