Manchester United Transfer News: Red Devils Must Not Give Up on Arturo Vidal

Manchester United would be making a big mistake in giving up on their pursuit of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who could be a game-changer if he made the switch to Old Trafford.

David Anderson in the Mirror reports that the Red Devils' interest in the Chilean is cooling because of the high price tag being placed on him:

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Manchester United are refusing to be held to ransom by Juventus over Arturo Vidal, despite signing a record £750million kit deal with Adidas. [...]

But the Old Trafford giants are determined not to pay over the odds in the transfer market and have made it clear they will not meet Juve’s £34m asking price for Vidal.

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It would be a short-sighted move for United and new manager Louis van Gaal to refuse to pay £34 million for Vidal as he is quite clearly worth the money.

As a central midfielder he is bettered by few, if any, in the world game and he plays in an area in which United are weak—and have been for many years.

He is a fantastic ball-winner and would provide physicality and aggression in midfield—not seen at Old Trafford since the departure of Roy Keane—as well as a sublime range of passing.

Furthermore, he is very effective going forward and is a prolific goalscorer, bagging 11 in Serie A last season, per WhoScored.com. 

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

United's chances of snapping him up if they are prepared to pay his transfer fee seem to be quite good, as the player himself has not ruled out the possibility, per chilevision.cl via the Telegraph:

"I'm already at a great team, Juventus, so I will be just as calm if the Manchester United option falls through."

There is also a great deal of speculation that Antonio Conte's surprise decision to resign as Juventus manager may be due to the club's willingness to sell on their star players, including Vidal, per football writer Jerrad Peters:

The 27-year-old Vidal's reported £34 million asking price is very reasonable in today's market and—having already shelled out similarly large amounts for Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw—United would be foolish not to stump up the cash, per Sky Sports News' Peter Hall:

Indeed, football writer Tom McDermott believes it would be reasonable for Juventus to request even more than that amount:

And he is right. Vidal is exactly the type of player that the Red Devils need in their squad to right the wrongs of their woeful 2013-14 campaign which saw them finish seventh in the Premier League.

With Vidal's presence in the midfield, contributing in both attack and defence, United would be genuine contenders once again for top honours in the English game and certainly a shoe-in to return to the Champions League.

Their lack of European football next season had led many to speculate United would struggle to attract major stars. Vidal is just that and seems open to the move.

To give up on him because of a—perfectly reasonable—transfer fee would be an awful move and could stall United's recovery as they look to return to their former glories.