BARCELONA are ready to flog Arturo Vidal this summer in order to help raise funds for Lautaro Martinez, according to reports.
The Argentina striker is high on the Catalan club’s wish list after his impressive form for Inter Milan.
Barcelona are willing to let Arturo Vidal, 33 this month and out of contract next year, go when the transfer market reopensCredit: AFP or licensors
But with a release clause of around £96million, Barca know they need to raise some more cash before they can land their transfer target.
Reports suggested that most of the squad at the Nou Camp have been put up for sale, especially with the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis still unclear.
But Marca believe Vidal is the man most likely to be shipped out – and he apparently wants to leave anyway.
Inter Milan are thought to be among the clubs chasing the midfielder, while a return to Juventus could also be on the cards.
There is Premier League interest, too, with Newcastle – set to be taken over by a Saudi-backed investment group for £300m – looking to begin their quest to get to the top of the football pyramid.
Vidal joined from Bayern Munich in 2018 for an initial £15m and the LaLiga leaders are hoping to get between £13m and £17m for him this summer.
The Chilean, who turns 33 this month and returned to training after the lockdown on Wednesday, has just one year left on his contract at Barcelona and is not expected to be handed an extension.
Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets virtually always start, leaving Vidal to battle for the the final midfield spot with Ivan Rakitic and Arthur.
That has meant the ex-Juventus man started just eight LaLiga games before the season was halted – although he has played in 22 league matches in total this season and chipped in with a handy six goals.
There are plenty of other players at risk of being sold by Barcelona when the transfer market reopens, or at least used in swap deals.
Nelson Semedo is seen as the “key piece” in one of three transfers with Barca hoping to use him as a makeweight to land Martinez, Neymar or Joao Cancelo.
Rakitic’s Nou Camp contract also expires next summer and he has been linked with a move away as Tottenham joined the likes of Manchester United, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid in the race for the Croatian’s signature.
United are also in for Samuel Umtiti but face competition for the World Cup-winning defender – available for just £26m – from Arsenal, Chelsea and Napoli.
This season’s flop signings Junior Firpo and Martin Braithwaite are also transfer listed, despite the latter only joining in a controversial move in February and having a whopping £260m release clause.
West Ham are lining up a shock summer swoop for the former Middlesbrough man, who scored nine goals in 40 appearances during his time in England.
Vidal was back at the Barca training complex on Wednesday as individual training resumedCredit: EPA
Barcelona stars Messi, Busquets and Vidal show their skill at the loo roll challenge
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
