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The long-drawn rigmarole surrounding Arturo Vidal’s transfer to Manchester United has finally come to an end, if reports from the Italian press are to be believed. La Gazzetta Dello Sport claim that Juventus have rejected the English club’s €43 million bid. Representatives of the two teams have come together at Monte Carlo, where all of Europe’s heavyweights have sent delegations for the Champions League draw to be held later today. Ironically enough, it was the same publication which ran a story shortly before that the deal had gone through. Mixed signals have been the order of the day all summer.
Manchester United had already agreed personal terms with the holding midfielder who they so badly needed, but with the recent purchase of Angel di Maria, perhaps simply do not have the money left in the bank to meet Juventus’s demands. The Bianconeri have shown an interest in Freddy Guarin who plays in the same position as Vidal, so speculations were rife that they were ready to let the Chilean go.
Attention Turned on Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho
With four days of activity left in the 2014 summer transfer window, the Red Devils are now expected to shift their focus on to William Carvalho after Sporting Lisbon dropped their asking price to €30 million. Although Carvalho does not offer the box-to-box energy that Vidal would have brought, his size and physicality will be much welcome at Old Trafford. Manchester United’s flimsiness through the centre has been on display in recent times, never more so than the 0-4 defeat to MK Dons. The 22 year old is a confident tackler and can be used as a defensive shield to break up attacks, and can be expected to only improve with time.
Defender Marcos Rojo has made a move to Manchester from Sporting Lisbon this season, and Louis van Gaal will have in mind that the two former club mates can form a healthy partnership at the back, apart from helping each other settle down in England.
This is a look at the kind of contributions Carvalho made last season.
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