Manchester United have finally ended their long running pursuit of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, according to reports in Italy.
The Chilean midfielder was a target for boss Louis van Gaal last summer but the deal failed to materialise due to the clubs having different valuations of the player. The Serie A club reportedly wanted around £40m while United were prepared to pay significantly less, especially with the player’s suspect knee.
Vidal enjoyed a fruitful campaign last term with him netting 11 goals before showing his worth at the World Cup, leading to mounting speculation he was ready to make a big money move to England.
With £150m to spend, Van Gaal wanted an all action midfielder but could never find middle ground with Juventus over Vidal.
Attempts to sign him were not revived in January but Van Gaal did declare a midfielder is a priority for him this summer. But acccording to Italian source Tuttosport, as reported by talkSPORT, it will not be Vidal, with the United manager concerned about the player’s below par performances this season, which have been badly affected by his troublesome knee.
If the report is accurate, Van Gaal is right to pull the plug on the deal. Having spent £150m on players last summer he cannot risk splashing out another significant transfer fee on a player whose fitness is likely to be an ongoing issue.
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