Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has suggested that midfielder Arturo Vidal could leave during the January transfer window, amid links to both Manchester United and Inter.
The 32-year-old hasn’t been a regular in Barcelona’s midfield this season and the club will be looking to slimline their squad next month, with Ivan Rakitić most notably linked with a move away from Catalonia.
But Valverde has admitted that Vidal could also be on the move away from Barcelona in January, following the recent arrivals of Frenkie de Jong and Arthur.
“Vidal is our player. We are happy with him,” Valverde said, as quoted by The Mirror. “There are so many rumours. We will see tomorrow if he plays or not.
“And when the January transfer window arrives, we will see what happens. There’s a lot of things going on in January but it’s true that we have a lot of midfielders. Some have played more than others but all of them are needed.”
Antonio Conte recently spoke in glowing terms about Vidal after the Chilean was linked with a reunion at Inter, following their time together when he was in charge at Juventus.
Manchester United’s tenuous links with Vidal came from Italian outlet FCInterNews, who pointed out that the midfielder’s agent Fernando Felicevich has a good relationship with the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Regardless, Vidal has already admitted that he will look to leave Barcelona unless he starts to get more playing time at the Camp Nou.
“A lot of games have gone by where I haven’t played and this makes me sad,” Vidal said last month. “You have to be objective and live from day to day.
“If by December or when the season finishes, I don’t feel important, I will have to make a decision and look for another place to go and be important.”
Since Vidal’s interview with TV3, the Chilean has made just two substitute appearances for Barcelona and he’s still looking for his first start with the Blaugrana in over a month.
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