Ever since his arrival on the scene at Bayer Leverkusen in 2007, Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal has been one of the top names in European football. Four years later, he the Bundesliga to join Juventus, becoming a key player for Antonio Conte for the three seasons they worked together. Now, Conte apparently wants a reunion with the 29-year-old at Chelsea.
According to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio -- which report has now been picked by multiple sources in England — contact has already been made to let Vidal know of Conte’s intentions. Meanwhile, a club source heard by the newspaper supposedly confirmed Chelsea's interest. (What team wouldn’t be interested in Vidal?)
Chelsea have tracked Arturo Vidal for a while. He is one of the names listed by Antonio Conte to reinforce his squad and the club's board agreed to try to bring him to England.
-source: El Mercurio
While Vidal claims to be quite happy at Bayern Munich at the moment, he is reportedly taking intensive courses in English. However, for Chelsea to even get to the negotiation table with the player's agents, they would need to offer at least $70m (£55-56m) to the German juggernauts, according to the report.
Vidal would certainly be a wonderful signing for Chelsea, even at such massive prices. He will have two years left on his contract this summer and could face decision time as far as the next step in his career is concerned. Chances are, nothing will come of this, but you never know...