Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Plot Swoop for Arturo Vidal

Let’s get one thing clear off the top. This doesn’t seem like a very likely rumour. The source is poor, and it would be very difficult to justify spending the kind of funds it would take to get the player in. Still, at least it’s not another story about Philippe Coutinho. So.

According to World Football Index, Liverpool are plotting a shock swoop for Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal. They claim to have been told this by sources in Chile with connections to the player, and they cite an increasingly crowded midfield picture at Bayern as supporting evidence.

If it were true, it would be something of an interesting move. Vidal is 30 years old now, and though he was a dynamic and dangerous midfielder in his prime, he looked to be slowing down last season—and he looked especially poor when Liverpool faced Bayern in pre-season.

He would also cost an awful lot of money. There are no suggestions of a fee, but it’s likely Liverpool would have to pay more for Vidal than they did for Mohamed Salah given the current state of the transfer market, and beyond that, Vidal is currently on a €150k per week wage.

In short, he would cost quite a bit of money and Liverpool would be signing him knowing he would at best give them a good season or two and that they would never be able to recover their investment in him. Or at least off the pitch they wouldn’t be able to.

The only way it would make sense is if Jürgen Klopp saw Vidal as the final piece in the puzzle, a player who could push Liverpool to either Premier League or Champions League glory over the next two seasons. Short of that, it’s not a signing that would make much sense.

Given that, and given the source, it seems fairly safe to dismiss them. Still, Liverpool desperately do need to sign a midfielder before the transfer window closes, and there’s always a chance Klopp does think his side are close enough for a signing like this to make sense.