Reported Newcastle United target Arturo Vidal has admitted that he could leave Barcelona this summer, telling El Periodico that he wants to ‘feel important’ again after two years struggling for game time in Catalonia.
It’s fair to say this battle-scarred South American never felt like a natural fit for a team built upon Johan Cruyff’s ‘Total Voetbal’ foundations.
And while Vidal has had his moments at Barca, rolling back the years with a trademark bullet header during Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of Real Mallorca, the 33-year-old is not exactly loving his role as a squad player.
A man who won league titles at Bayern Munich and Juventus has started just nine La Liga games all season.
So if he is offered the chance to start again, at a club where he would be a talismanic figure both on and off the pitch, expect Vidal to sign on the dotted line.
‘Want to feel important’
“Here I am happy and I have excellent teammates, but I want to feel important. Otherwise, I will have to look for something else to continue my career,” says Vidal, who has hinted at a reunion with former Juve boss Antonio Conte at Inter Milan.
“I like playing. I don’t say (I have to play) all the games, but the most difficult and important ones to win the titles (I want to feature in).”
Mundo Deportivo once again mentioned Newcastle United as a potential destination for Vidal if the £27 million midfielder is on the move this summer.
Barca would certainly listen to offers, with pretty much everyone apart from Lionel Messi, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Frenkie de Jong up for sale as a cash-strapped club look to finance a deal for Lautaro Martinez.
But Vidal is a man who is used to competing for the very biggest trophies. And Newcastle, takeover or not, are a long way away from returning to the elite.
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