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Arturo Vidal has been linked with a Barcelona exit this summer but could he end up at Boca Juniors?
Chile team-mate Gary Medel has talked up a move to Argentina for the Barcelona midfielder. The no-nonsense defender claims Vidal is a big Boca fan and would love to play at La Bombonera.
He told Radio Continental: “Arturo Vidal would like to play at Boca Juniors with me or without me. He loves Boca and follows them on social media. He’s dying to go there.”
Medel spent two years at Boca at the start of the career and added that it would be a “dream” for him to return to the club.
Vidal Says He’s Happy at Barcelona
Vidal’s Barcelona contract is up at the end of next season which has fuelled speculation he could depart in the summer transfer window. The 33-year-old has been linked with Inter Milan, but sporting director Piero Ausilio has played down the rumors.
The midfielder has also said recently he’s happy at the Camp Nou and wants to continue. Barcelona’s signing of Vidal from Bayern Munich in 2018 raised a few eyebrows, given his combative style of play, but he has proven a hit in Barcelona.
Indeed in the current campaign, he’s been an important presence in midfield, scoring six goals and offering an extra dimension in attack when required. He also came in for praise from captain Lionel Messi after Barcelona came from 1-0 down to beat Inter 2-1 in the Champions League.
Messi told reporters after the game: “Arturo gives you so much. He is a player who, when he enters, catches, recovers, arrives, plays. He is a very important player for us and it is good that he had these minutes today, he felt important because he is a very important player for the team.”
Juventus In for Vidal?
Yet rumors about his future persist due to his contract situation and because he is not an automatic starter. Serie A champions Juventus have asked about the Chilean during negotiations regarding a swap for Miralem Pjanic, according to RAC1.
Vidal knows Juve well having spent four years in Turin before heading to Bayern in 2015. He won four Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia in a successful spell with the Serie A giants.
Juve are not the only club believed to be keen on the midfielder. Premier League sides Manchester United and Newcastle are both interested, according to Javier Gascon at Mundo Deportivo.
Vidal’s future may depend on how much game time he sees between now and the end of the campaign. He’s been used more regularly as a substitute in 2019-20 and has said previously he needs to be at a club where he “feels important.”
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