Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Arturo Vidal and Keylor Navas Rumours

Real Madrid manager in-waiting Rafael Benitez is ready to “prioritise” Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal this summer as he bids to bolster his midfield options.

According to Marca (h/t Football-Espana.net), Real will name the Spanish coach as the head man at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, and he has already compiled a list of players he’d like to add to the Los Blancos squad. The piece claims that Paul Pogba is not one of them, but his Bianconeri teammate is.

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Here’s a look at the kind of attributes the Chilean would add to the heart of Real’s midfield:

Vidal is definitely the type of player you’d associate with Benitez. The former Liverpool manager is all about pragmatism, and given how staunchly he stands by his beliefs, it’d be a big surprise if he were to abandon those principles even if he is appointed Madrid boss.

Indeed, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett, there are a lot of intricate attacking players who could find themselves out of the side under the Spaniard:

With Sami Khedira almost certain to leave the club, according to Juventus director Beppe Marotta's comments to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), Real are in need of an enforcing presence in the middle of the field, and Vidal ticks all the boxes. He’s so dominant physically, ferocious in the tackle and possesses the defensive instincts that have left Los Blancos looking a little flimsy in the middle of the park this season.

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As noted by Sport Witness, reports in Italy are claiming that Juventus may be willing to cash in on Vidal should someone meet their asking price:

While Real are synonymous with targeting the most exciting attacking players, they will surely go in a different direction under Benitez, and the apparent pursuit of Vidal is emblematic of that.

There’s no doubt the Chilean would be a major success at the Bernabeu under the former Valencia boss. Should Juventus win the Champions League on June 6—completing what would be an historic treble for the Turin club—Vidal may feel as though this summer is an ideal time to go in search of new challenges too.

Liverpool Chasing Keylor Navas

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According to the Sunday People (h/t Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday Mirror), Liverpool will meet Keylor Navas’ £10.5 million release clause in an attempt to lure him to Anfield.

The Costa Rica international has been a peripheral figure at the Bernabeu since his switch from Levante last summer, and with perennial rumours about a potential move for David de Gea, as noted by Hopkinson’s piece, Navas’ chances of first-team football are looking bleak.

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However, as noted by AS, the 28-year-old has revealed he is ready to fight for his place in the Spanish capital and is excited about potentially working with Benitez:

"

It hasn’t been all negative. I didn’t play as much as I would have liked to but I did train on a daily basis with the best players in the world. I always give my all. A similar situation occurred at my first season with Levante, where I hardly played. Then a new coach came in and I was lucky to play and had a great season. …

He’s an excellent coach and if he comes to the club I’ll put myself at his disposition

"

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For Liverpool, he’d be an exceptional acquisition. As Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe notes, if Manchester United are willing to sell De Gea this summer, they should try to lure Navas to Old Trafford as a replacement:

Although we haven’t seen much of him this season, Navas is a classy goalkeeper. He’s a player who possesses amazing shot-stopping skills, is a commanding presence in his area and is an astute distributor of the ball too. Indeed, during his final season at Levante, the Costa Rican was probably the finest goalkeeper in La Liga.

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As we can see here courtesy of MisterChip, Navas did absolutely nothing wrong when he did take to the field for the Madrid giants:

Simon Mignolet was much-improved for Liverpool in the second half of the campaign, but the Belgian remains a little erratic. As such, if the Reds can strike a deal for Navas, he’d be a big upgrade on the club’s current No. 1.

From Navas’ perspective, it’ll be tough to give up on making it at such a massive club, but if De Gea is to come in this summer, he’ll surely push for a move. If he were to go to Liverpool, Navas would be afforded the time to establish himself as not only the Reds’ top man between the sticks, but one of the best goalkeepers around.