Arsenal Transfer News: Arturo Vidal Door Left Open by Juventus, Pedro Rumours
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli has suggested Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal could be sold at any time, despite Giuseppe Marotta, the club's CEO, dismissing rumours the player could join Arsenal or another European side.
"About Vidal those are only rumours," said Marotta, per Sky Italia (h/t Marc Williams of the Daily Star). However, Agnelli appeared to leave the door ajar for any potential suitors.
"Nothing is 100 percent in football, players are not for sale starting from September 1," he said, per Williams. "Some years ago we said (Christian) Vieri was not for sale and he went to Atletico Madrid [a] few days after."
Arsenal continue to be linked with the destructive midfielder, per Williams. He recently played a major role in Chile securing the Copa America on their own turf and was a key factor in Juve reaching the 2015 Champions League final.
He provides the kind of grit which can stop the opposition moving forward, not to mention passing quality and the ability to score quality goals, as highlighted below:
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already landed one piece of excellent business in goalkeeper Petr Cech this summer. However, the north London side possess a plethora of lightweight, creative midfielders, so the boss needs to follow Cech's arrival with the addition of an experienced defensive specialist for the centre.
According to the Daily Star (h/t Telegraph Sport), Wenger could be set to do battle with Manchester United for the signing of Bayern Munich star Mario Gotze. This would be an exceptional capture for either club, but it would overlook Arsenal's need to find a midfield behemoth.
ESPN FC writer Andrew Mangan recently discussed the potential signing of Southampton stalwart Morgan Schneiderlin and how his arrival would be weighed up against the emergence of Francis Coquelin:
"With Southampton looking for a fee of around £24m for Schneiderlin, it creates something of an issue. It's not that Arsenal can't afford him; it's what that kind of price-tag means. Do you pay £24m for someone to play second fiddle to Coquelin? Does a £24m player sign for a club unless he's confident he's going to be a first-team regular? With the price comes an expectation.
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Although unlikely, Vidal's arrival would bypass this difficult situation and see him slot straight into the side.
Pedro to Remain at Barcelona?
Despite being majorly overlooked during 2014-15, Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez has told boss Luis Enrique he wishes to remain at the Camp Nou, according to the Mirror's John Cross, who noted Arsenal's interest.
Pedro is a dynamic, goalscoring winger who would be a top signing for most European clubs. The Gunners are well-stacked in this area, though, particularly after signing Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez last summer.
The Spaniard remained on the bench for the majority of last season due to the brilliance of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez for the Blaugrana. He still scored six and assisted six in La Liga, per WhoScored.com, and he was able to make an impact when needed. Cross suggested he is valued at £15 million, a sum which would rank among the bargains of the year.
B/R UK's Andy Brassell recently discussed more pressing transfer business surrounding the Gunners:
Wenger needs to add one or two world-class players to have an excellent squad on his hands. He must build on the signing of Cech—an experienced star who knows how to win—by only adding those who offer an upgrade to Arsenal's current options.
Doing so will allow the side to compete for more than the FA Cup next season.
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