Juventus' stance softening on Arturo Vidal

Two months ago, before the World Cup, it seemed likely that the big, mean vultures hovering over Juventus were going to be rebuffed. The club might have had some tasty players, but they were in good shape -- successful, possessing a strong manager and with no financial worries. The message was clear and consistent: their two great prizes, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba, were not going anywhere.

But now, in the post-Antonio Conte era, the situation is looking a little different. Take, for instance, Beppe Marotta's most recent quotes regarding Vidal:

We never put Arturo on the market. If he does not express the desire to leave, then we are proud and honoured to keep him here. We're not taking anything for granted, but the player has never taken any other stance than that of wanting to stay with us.

Source: La Repubblica via ESPN.

'If Vidal wants to leave, we'll keep him' is a far cry from '[fun] off, he's great and you're not having him', and although Vidal has been far more closely linked to Manchester United than to Chelsea, the Blues should be paying close attention to these latest developments. Firstly, because if Vidal is hypothetically for sale should he want to go, that could mean Pogba is too, and secondly because Arturo Vidal represents such a massive upgrade to Manchester United -- who are going to be a direct title rival again in short order -- that we should be attempting to disrupt the deal on principle alone.

Get involved, Chelsea!