Reports: Manchester United to battle Chelsea in race to sign 30-year-old superstar

What's the rumour?

Manchester United have just completed the signing of Alexis Sanchez and now reports in The Express (via Maks Cardenas' Twitter account) claim that the Red Devils are ready to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal.

The Chilean star could be available in the summer despite having one year left on his contract and the same report also went on to state that the Bayern Munich midfielder had a couple of offers from Italy and China as well.

Arturo Vidal seguirá en el Bayern Munich lo que resta de temporada. En junio aún le quedará un año de contrato. Tiene ofertas desde Italia y China. Chelsea y Manchester United también interesados.

— Maks Cárdenas (@MaksCardenas) January 22, 2018

According to Express' translation of the tweet, this means:

“Arturo Vidal will remain at Bayern Munich for the rest of the season. In June he will still have one year of contract. He has offers from Italy and China. Chelsea and Manchester United also interested.”

In case you didn't know...

Vidal has previously played under Antonio Conte at Juventus.

One of the most complete midfielders of this generation, Arturo Vidal had an extremely successful spell at Juventus under Antonio Conte before making a move to Bayern Munich. The 30-year-old has been a key member of the squad since 2015 and has come up with some excellent performances for the Bundesliga giants.

However, in recent times, Vidal's future has been subject to intense speculation and a summer move away from Bayern Munich does not seem too improbable at the moment.

The heart of the matter

With uncertainty surrounding Marouane Fellaini's future, according to The Telegraph, and Michael Carrick's impending retirement, the Red Devils could definitely do with another quality addition to their midfield. On the other hand, after Bakayoko's disappointing start to his Chelsea career, the Blues could also be keen on signing another world-class midfielder.

Vidal is definitely a top quality player and although he is 30, his signing will certainly add depth and quality to any side in the world.

Rumour rating/probability

5/10

Reports of Vidal leaving Bayern Munich have been gathering pace and although the Chilean might be on his way out of Bundesliga, whether he will actually join Manchester United or Chelsea still remains highly doubtful and it will be interesting to see where Vidal will be playing in the 2018/19 season.

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Author's take

Vidal's all-action style of play is perfectly suited to the Premier League and it makes perfect sense for both Manchester United and Chelsea to go all out in the race to sign the 30-year-old midfielder.