Arturo Vidal spent four seasons with Juventus before joining Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and the Old Lady seem to want a reunion.
Barcelona lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, so they will accelerate their complete roster overhaul and transition to a younger team. That means key players like Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal could be made available this summer, and they have already been linked to Juventus.
Whereas Suarez has never played for Juve before, Arturo Vidal went up against Suarez and Lionel Messi in a Champions League Final while with the Bianconeri. Vidal played for Juve from 2011 to 2014, scoring 10 goals in two separate Serie A seasons while in Turin.
According to a report from La Cuarta, new Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo, who played alongside Vidal in midfield during that time, would like to reunite with the Chilean.
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo wants Arturo Vidal
Pirlo has even reportedly called Vidal personally to gauge his interest in joining the club, as Vidal’s time at Barcelona may be at a crossroads. Vidal scored eight goals and had nearly two tackles per game, according to WhoScored.com, for La Blaugrana in the 2019-2020 La Liga campaign, but the 33-year-old is likely not in Barça’s future plans.
Juventus themselves need to be careful about adding too many older players on high salaries, since that is what has gotten them into their current problem. The Bianconeri, though, also want to win in the short-term, given that they won’t have Cristiano Ronaldo for much longer. Their clear goal with Ronaldo in the squad is to win the Champions League, which is the trophy that has eluded the winners of nine straight Scudetti.
La Cuarta states that Pirlo views Vidal as a key player to his plans in the beginning of his tenure as Juventus manager.
Pirlo likely sees Vidal as a well-rounded veteran presence in midfield who can provide running, defense, and some goal-scoring threat. He could be the guy who helps Rodrigo Bentancur and Arthur Melo transition into big stars for the team, and if Vidal is cheap, Pirlo could make the move if the player wants a reunion.