Manchester United Transfer News: Arturo Vidal in Shock £14m Juventus Rumours

Arturo Vidal available for just £14 million? That sound you hear is nearly every Manchester United fan on the planet shouting sign him up now!

Manager Louis van Gaal won't even need to wait to hear that call if the latest rumours regarding Vidal prove true. Apparently, the Chilean international could leave Turin for as little as €20-25 million this summer, according to CalcioMercato.com (h/t Daily Star reporter Colin Harvey).

The basis of the report focuses on Vidal's rather lukewarm form this season. He has six goals and two assists to his credit in all competitions, per ESPN FC.

Yet all of those have come in league action. Vidal has been missing in action in both the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia.

But his overall performances have improved recently and Juve will use the late-season flourish to trigger a bidding war.

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It's hoped that the sales of both Vidal and little-used Spanish striker Fernando Llorente will help Juventus keep midfield talisman Paul Pogba in Serie A. That seems like wishful thinking, but there's no doubt that if Vidal is available for so little, he'll have plenty of suitors.

United should be at the front of any queue. Ironically, it's the form of Pogba, famously overlooked by ex-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, that's made Vidal expendable.

The 27-year-old warrior in the middle was once an essential figure for the Bianconeri. At his best, Vidal combined energy, strength and aggression with forward-thinking creativity and an eye for goal.

Those just happen to be qualities few members of United's current midfield possess. Specifically, no one player offers the lot the way Vidal can.

Van Gaal isn't short of attacking midfielders. Not when Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj are on the books. He also has more robust types such as Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini to call on.

But Van Gaal doesn't have anything approaching a complete midfield player. It says a lot that he's spent so much time trying to shape a striker as gifted as Wayne Rooney into that role.

Telegraph writer Thom Gibbs recently told B/R's Ryan Bailey United should commit to playing Rooney in his natural position and move Di Maria back out wide:

Both sensible suggestions, but there's still that gaping hole in the middle.

That's probably why the Red Devils spent most of last summer linked with the industrious playmaker. Back in August, Ian Herbert of The Independent suggested Van Gaal was pushing for a late move for Vidal.

In November, Manchester Evening News writer Rob Dawson stated Juve had blocked United's pursuit of the player. General manager Giuseppe Marotta was the man credited with slamming the door.

But it seems the Juventus hierarchy is willing to leave the door ajar this summer. United shouldn't waste a moment trying to wrap up a quick deal.

If Vidal hits the market with such a modest price tag, the Red Devils will find themselves competing with a host of Europe's top clubs for the signature of one of the game's best midfield generals.