Manchester United Transfer News: Analyzing Potential Arturo Vidal January Deal

Manchester United have displayed some promising signs in the early stages of their first season under the guidance of Louis van Gaal.

Top form has still been elusive, though. It's led to talk about a potential high-profile move in January to help provide a spark.

Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express reports the Dutch manager has once again set his sights on Juventus star Arturo Vidal as a mid-season target. He notes there are a couple of other options depending on how things play out over the next few months:

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The United boss is still keeping tabs on Vidal despite lining up moves for Roma's Kevin Strootman and Real Madrid's Sami Khedira, and could yet launch a bid for the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

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There was a lot of chatter during the summer about the Chilean international making a move to Old Trafford. Nothing ever came of it as United opted for other marquee moves, including the additions of Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera.

Vidal discussed the situation after the deadline came and went without a move. Robin Cottle of the Daily Mail passed along his remarks to Italian outlet Tuttosport about never receiving word of any legitimate offers. He didn't look into any interest beyond that:

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The truth is I was calm and relaxed this summer, only focusing on my knee. I never once asked my agent or Juventus if something was happening. I have a pact with my agent: if there is something concrete, he alerts me. He did not alert me.

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The 27-year-old midfielder has since returned to full strength and continued to feature for the Serie A side. His best outing of the campaign so far was a two-goal effort against Cesena.

A quick glance at the United squad shows plenty of star power, but nobody capable of playing the central role at the same level as Vidal. His ability to track back defensively, tackle and jump-start an attack the other way is something that's missing for Van Gaal's side.

It was something the club had hoped Marouane Fellaini would do when he arrived from Everton. That hasn't worked out, however, with the Belgian struggling to make a consistent impact.

When the speculation originally heated up back in July, WhoScored posted a stat that showcased his tackling prowess:

Players like Vidal, who are outstanding at winning individual battles, don't always show up on the stat sheet, but their impact is felt. It certainly would for the likes of Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie if he landed with United.

So the fit is good. The question is whether a January transfer is a realistic possibility. That's far more tricky to determine.

United aren't scared to spend if they feel the moves are going to make a noticeable impact. But after an active summer, it's unknown whether they would be willing to make another major investment already unless they truly felt they were Premier League title contenders.

Juventus haven't shown a willingness to move the talented midfielder despite the lingering transfer talk. "The club has been very clear on Vidal. This season Vidal is a Juventus player and I think there's no possibility that in January he'll go to Manchester," manager Massimiliano Allegri told the BBC.

The combination of those two factors make a deal seem like a long shot. There simply isn't enough desire on either side to make such a splash in the middle of the campaign. The outlook could always change over the next couple of months.

That said, if United were able to get a deal done, it would represent a massive step in the right direction. Vidal has only flashed his best form so far this term, but when at the top of his game, he represents exactly what the Red Devils need.

United supporters shouldn't read too much into that possibility becoming reality, though.