Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has reportedly intensified talks to convince Arturo Vidal to join him at the London club.
According to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Italian manager had already tried the signing during the summer, and has now been making telephone calls to try and make a reunion with the player possible.
But in the last call with Conte, Vidal reportedly said he wants to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich before taking any decision over his future.
The story claims that Vidal has been taking English lessons, even though he still can’t speak German fluently.
The newspaper quotes an ‘external consultant’ for Chelsea saying: “Chelsea have been following Arturo Vidal for a while. He’s one of the signings targeted by Conte and the board have agreed to take him to England.”
El Mercurio point out the 29 year old wouldn’t be cheap. The story says Bayern Munich would demand at least US$70m (£56m) from Chelsea for the transfer.
Having signed from Juventus in 2015 for €37m, the Chilean international has a contract with Bayern Munich until 2019. He’s currently out due to a rib injury, and is set to return next month.
A note of caution may be needed here. In December the same Chilean newspaper, El Mercurio, claimed Pep Guardiola had spoken to Alexis Sanchez by telephone, about a possible transfer. The Manchester City manager responded by saying the journalist responsible is a liar.
