Arsenal Ready To Match Manchester United’s Proposed €50m Midfielder Bid

The summer transfer window is now open for business and it’s expected to be a busy few weeks as managers strengthen their squads ahead of next season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, the race for Arturo Vidal hots up.

Arsenal are ready to go head-to-head with Manchester United for the signing of Arturo Vidal with reports claiming the Red Devils are set to meet Juve’s €50m asking price.

Vidal is widely regarded as one of the best all-round midfielders in the world after three superb seasons with Juventus, where he’s played a key role in helping the club win three consecutive Serie A title’s since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011.

His powerful displays have attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs and Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move for the 27-year-old this summer, with new boss Louis van Gaal keen to partner the Chilean international with new signing Ander Herrera at the heart of his new-look side.

The Express claim that while Juve are under no pressure to sell, they have made it clear that they will reluctantly do business at €50m (£40m) and United are understood to be on the verge of launching a bid to meet that figure.

United have already splashed some serious cash on Herrara and Luke Shaw but it doesn’t look like the spending will relent any time soon, as van Gaal looks to overhaul a squad that finished way down in seventh-place last season.

However, it appears the deposed Premier League champions are going to face some stiff competition as the newspaper suggests that Arsenal are also keen on bringing Vidal to England, and boss Arsene Wenger will match any bid United make for the midfielder.

The Gunners are currently in talks to sign Barcelona attacker Alexis Sanchez so it looks like the north Londoners will also move for his compatriot and compete for what would be a stunning double swoop for two of Chile’s star performers at this summers World Cup.

Wenger is expected to bring in a long-term replacement for Mikel Arteta and Vidal would certainly add some power to the Arsenal side – which has been criticised for having a ‘soft’ core at times in recent years.

READ MORE–> Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

But United’s interest is long-standing and they won’t give up without a fight, and interestingly, the Express suggest that Vidal would be open to a new challenge if either club are able to agree a deal with Juventus. Whether that turns out to be the case remains to be seen but it would be a major coup if either Arsenal or United could pull it off.