Manchester United Transfer News: Arturo Vidal Double Blow Dealt by Real Madrid

Real Madrid's interest in Arturo Vidal is set to be used by Juventus to spark an auction between the Spanish giants and Manchester United, and they may even consider a swap deal involving Sami Khedira.

The Bianconeri are reportedly willing to sell their star, but Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express says any club wishing to take his talents will have to stump up £48 million to do so:

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Real Madrid are also keen to sign the 27-year-old as Carlo Ancelotti attempts to beef up his squad, and Juventus are ready to take advantage of the two-horse race by upping their asking price to a staggering £48million.

The Serie A champions are prepared to let Vidal go after a number of unprofessional incidents, but unfortunately for United, Massimo Allegri is looking to do business with Ancelotti before Van Gaal.

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Carlo Ancelotti's close ties to Serie A may indeed work in his favour, but the question is which side has more need to jump in for Vidal? One would think the answer is United.

However, with Khedira's contract at the Bernabeu set to expire next summer, Los Merengues will be in need of another midfield anchor, and that could reshape the tug-of-war for Vidal's signature once again.

Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images

In fact, Chapman adds that Massimiliano Allegri is interested in cutting a swap between the World Cup winner and Vidal, which could be extremely advantageous for Real so that they don't lose their man for free next year.

Vidal was benched for Juve's game against Roma several weeks ago after he was alleged to have partied just days prior to the fixture, but Allegri is quoted by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (h/t Gianluca Di Marzio), saying:

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He was benched against Roma because, with the return of Pirlo, I needed a more tactical player, Marchisio. The nights out? Every now and then, the players do some stupid things. They have to understand when they can do that and that nowadays, with the cell phones, the photographers are everywhere. I’ve nothing to say from the practicing and the intensity standpoint about Arturo, or about the others. There is not a Vidal case.

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Those comments would move to dismiss any notion of a rift between player and manager caused as a result of the evening's escapades.

However, it hasn't stopped The Guardian's Tor-Kristian Karlsen from chiming in on the matter, and he's of the understanding that Vidal's way of going about his personal life is outdated:

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I'm a long-standing admirer of Arturo Vidal but paying £25 million+ for a player whose idea of professionalism seems stuck in the 80s?

— Tor-Kristian Karlsen (@karlsentk) October 12, 2014"

United are in need of a player boasting Vidal's box-to-box qualities, and it's no secret they have been for some years now. Daley Blind's and Ander Herrera's summer arrivals have eased the midfield burden somewhat, but one still gets the sense that a tough character with playmaking ability is needed.

Real also made changes to their core over the summer, selling Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich after purchasing Toni Kroos themselves, but again, one could say there's a steelier edge missing.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

In a seller's market, the power would certainly appear to be in Juve's court, although a lot will depend on how desperate the club is to sell, whether due to financial reasons or the suspected divide that's erupted.

Both Real and the Red Devils are in positions in which the £48 million wouldn't be impossible to raise, but in an era of mass splurging, some sense of value is still inevitably required.

The club that feels the Chilean represents that value will be the one to act fastest in offering Allegri's side the money they demand, which could in return land them one of the finest box-to-box talents in world football.