Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal has not been having a great time of it lately at Bayern Munich and how long he may continue with the Bundesliga giants has now become a matter of speculation after a string of incidents have cast doubt on his future in Germany.
First there was a knee injury picked up in training in mid-April that essentially put an end to his season. Though this was no fault of his own, Vidal’s attitude afterwards in suggesting that Bayern Munich only lost their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid due to his absence apparently angered sections of the squad and the club’s fans, who were quick to accuse the former Juventus man of arrogance.
Then, a fortnight ago, the re-emergence of off-the-field disciplinary issues stretching back to September last year saw Vidal and his brother Sandro implicated for their part in a nightclub brawl in the Bavarian capital and sees the siblings now risking six to 10 months in prison.
Shortly after, rumours began to circulate that in an attempt to restructure and move on from the doomed Carlo Ancelotti era, Vidal could be on his way back to Italy to reunite with his former boss, who has now taken over the reins at Napoli. Simultaneously, a move to Inter Milan and a return to Turin and Juventus for a fee around €50mn have also been touted.
There is also interest from the Premier League, though Vidal has already snuffed out Chelsea’s hopes by stating his intent to “fight for the Champions League” at his new club should he move on from Bayern, which still leaves the door open to Manchester United and the chance to link up with compatriot Alexis Sanchez.
Talking to Fox Sports Argentina, Vidal, who has just a year left to run on his Munich contract and has already claimed to “know [his] worth”, remained cool on his future and is in no rush to fret over where he may play next season. “When my vacation’s finished, I’ll sit down with my agent and evaluate everything” declared the 30-year-old. “He’ll tell me what he can do and then we’ll choose, to see and decide whether or not to continue with Bayern” Vidal affirmed. “Right now, my only concern is recovering from my knee injury and then we’ll take it from there” it was concluded.
