Arturo Vidal edges closer to Inter Milan

In recent transfer news, several reports have come out from Italy claiming that the Chile international is close to moving to Inter Milan.

The midfield in Barcelona has been ‘overbooked’ for a while now, and while Carles Aleñá is close to sealing a loan deal sending him to Real Betis for the remainder of the season, Arturo Vidal seems to be on his way out.

A report was published by Italian news outlet TuttoSport on Friday afternoon, claiming that Inter Milan is closing in on a deal that will send the Chilean midfielder back to Italy.

Reportedly, Vidal lacks the prominence he feels he deserves in the squad, and feels somewhat superfluous. The Chilean would, thus, like a change of scenery, and has been wanted by Inter Milan’s newly appointed manager, Antonio Conte, for a long time. The squad depth at Inter Milan has become more and more apparent, with Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella having been sidelined recently, with their absence troubling the Nerazzurri.

Arturo Vidal would like to feel important in the squad, as he expressed recently, and feels that Inter would be able to provide him with that status, per a report from Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter have a contract lined up already: it would tie the Chilean to Inter until 2022, despite the Italian side not being ready to cash all out in terms of wages. Barcelona, reportedly, want 20 million euros for Vidal, but the figure is one that will not be met by Inter chairman Steven Zhang, as things stand.

However, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the negotiations are still ongoing.

Juventus are also one of Vidal’s suitors, and the Italian side has called the Chilean’s agent, Fernando Felicevich, to enquire about a possible return to the Turin-based side, reports Di Marzio. However, Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Vidal’s priority remains to join the Nerazzurri.

Vidal’s current contract with Barcelona runs out in the summer of 2021, and during his 72 appearances for the Blaugrana, the Chilean scored eight goals, and set up an additional eight.