Chelsea Transfer News: Arturo Vidal Open to Joining Antonio Conte, Fresh Rumours

Antonio Conte could reportedly be the key to Chelsea landing Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal after the Chilean hinted he would be open to working with the Italian again. 

Conte is the front-runner to succeed Guus Hiddink as the permanent Blues boss in the summer, especially after it was revealed he would leave his current post with the Italian national team after Euro 2016, per BBC Sport.

He previously managed Vidal at Juventus, and the Bayern star indicated he would be eager to play under Conte again, per Goal's Gill Clark: "I have always said if I go to war I would take Conte with me. We will see what happens."

Vidal, 28, established himself as one of the world's best box-to-box midfielders under Conte as Juve won three consecutive Serie A titles from 2011.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man won another Scudetto under Massimiliano Allegri in 2015 after Conte's departure before transferring to Bayern last summer.

Vidal's combative style, defensive acumen and attacking prowess make him one of the best all-round midfielders in Europe, and potentially the answer to Chelsea's current woes.

Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas' loss in form has played a key role in Chelsea's downfall in an awful 2015-16 campaign, but the purchase of Vidal could solve their midfield problems in one fell swoop.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones previously suggested Conte has the profile to attract top stars to the west London club even without Champions League football next season:

Persuading Vidal to join Chelsea would be the perfect indication of that, and he would certainly be a help at Stamford Bridge as the Blues bid to return to the upper echelons of European football.

So too would Leicester City's N'Golo Kante, who has established himself this season as one of the Premier League's best defensive midfielders.

And Chelsea are reportedly planning to make a move for the Frenchman in the summer, according to Darren Lewis in the Mirror.

Kante is exactly the type of player Chelsea need to add some steel and application to their squad, but the Foxes will be loath to let him go given how crucial he has been to their surprising title bid.

So impressive has he been that he has earned a first call-up to the French national team, per UEFA Euro 2016:

Given the 24-year-old still has three years to run on his Foxes deal, the Blues will have to splash out big money if they want to sign the midfielder.