Only minor details separate this Barcelona star from Inter Milan
Barcelona is close to selling Arturo Vidal to Inter Milan with only one hurdle left to jump.
Inter Milan are nearing a deal to complete the signing of Arturo Vidal of Barcelona, a player they’ve been chasing for the better part of this season.
According to Marca, the only thing separating the two sides from the deal is the midfielder’s wage demands. Vidal is demanding somewhere in the range of €13 million a year which would make him the highest-paid earner at the club.
Romelu Lukaku is currently Inter’s highest-earning player at €12 million. According to SempreInter, the Chilean midfielder has spoken to Antonio Conte about a possible move. Considering how adamant Conte’s been in his pursuit of Vidal, it’s obvious that he’s a player that would play an important role in his team.
Vidal has made it no secret that he wants to be a starter and that is simply not going to happen at Barcelona with the likes of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Melo ahead of him in the depth chart.
The Catalans have also been very upfront that they would not be opposed to a move. He’s long been rumoured to be used as one of the players that would go to Inter in the Lautaro Martinez deal.
One of the reasons why Barcelona was hesitant to sell him at the start of the season is because he was still in the plans of former manager Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde valued Vidal because he thought he gave the team a quality that no other midfielder had. That quality is an energetic player who provided a bit of chaos, in a good way and was not afraid to get stuck in with a tackle.
With Quique Setién in charge, Barcelona is trying to recover their identity meaning a possession-style game with the midfield playing an integral part in that system. As it stands, Vidal sticks out like a sore thumb.
At 32-years-old, he likely only has one more chance at a huge contract as well as being a starter for a top team in Europe.
He’s already familiar with Serie A where he spent time at Juventus and being an explicit demand from the manager will undoubtedly factor in his mind and towards Inter’s favour.
