By DAN KARELL
Juventus is set to lose its third starter from a team that made the UEFA Champions League final this past season.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport in Italy, the basic framework of a $38-41 million transfer deal, including bonuses, to bring Arturo Vidal from Juve to Bayern Munich has been agreed between the two clubs. The report claims that Bayern will sign Vidal to a five-year, $35 million contract.
The basic agreement has come just in the past few hours, according to the report. Bayern was offering approximately $33 million while Juventus demanded $49 million. But the two sides were able to meet in the middle on Thursday.
If the deal is confirmed, the Chilean international Vidal would join Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo in leaving Juventus this summer. Tevez signed with Boca Juniors and Pirlo headed to New York City FC.
Vidal is coming of a summer in which he won the Copa America with the Chile National Team. He’s likely seen as a replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger, who left Bayern this summer for Manchester United.
The report from La Gazzetta claims that Juventus have identified Bayern Munich midfielder Mario Gotze as an ideal signing this summer to replace Vidal, but the report clarifies that a move for Götze would be a separate deal.
Here are some more stories to kick off your Thursday:
TIGRES FALLS IN COPA LIBERTADORES SEMIFINAL FIRST LEG
Tigres UANL didn’t come out on the winning side in its Copa Libertadores semifinal first leg match against Internacional SC of Brazil, but did pick up an important away goal.
The Mexican club fell, 2-1, to Internacional in the Estádio José Pinheiro Borba in Porto Alegre. Internacional used goals from Andres D’Allesandro and 20-year-old Wanderson Ferreira de Oliveira, known as Valdivia, in the first 10 minutes of the match to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Hugo Ayala cut the deficit in half with a flicked-on goal off a short corner kick that was crossed into the box from the left in the 23rd minute, but neither team was able to find the finishing touch again after the three early goals.
The series now moves to Nuevo Leon, where the two teams will meet for a place in the final next Wednesday.
WEBB IDENTIFIED AS FIFA OFFICIAL EXTRADITED TO USA
Former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb has been identified in one report as the FIFA official who agreed to be extradited from Switzerland to the United States.
Sky Sports News in England reports that Webb was the one FIFA official who was transported with a three-man police escort from Zurich to New York on Wednesday. The Swiss Federal Office of Justice announced on July 10 that one of the seven men arrested on May 27 had agreed to be extradited, though it and U.S. authorities haven’t identified that individual.
Webb is alleged to have taken part in a racket that involved more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to he and other FIFA and CONCACAF officials based around the media and marketing rights to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL events.
QUICK KICKS
Brazilian forward Robinho has completed a move to Guangzhou Evergrande, signing a six-month contract. (REPORT)
Southampton has replaced Morgan Schneiderlin with Feyenoord midfielder Jordy Clasie, who signed for a near-$9 million transfer fee. (REPORT)
Santiago Vergini has completed a season-long loan move to Getafe from Sunderland. (REPORT)
Louis Van Gaal is ready to sell back-up goalkeeper Victor Valdes after the Spaniard refused to play in a Man United Under-21 match in preseason. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Vidal moving to Bayern? How do you think he would fit into Bayern’s lineup? What are Tigres’ chances in the second leg?
Share your thoughts below.
I think Webb, on the advise of his attorneys, made the right call.
If you are not a Swiss Citizen, there is little chance you will avoid extradition to the US. Its also a good call because of the “first to ring,first to sing credo that rewards those who turn themselves over with a promise to cooperate. The US Attorney’s Office do not make promises or deals off US soil, so on his return to the US. most likely some deal will be struck for his cooperation, who knows, he might even avoid a heavy sentence, But it bodes ill for FIFA, Blatter and others, as Webb/s information is more current, than what they had with Blazer.
Blazer was dumped from FIFA several years ago and his info was/is not current, Webb’s is.
So its $38 million transfer fee plus 5 years $35 million. Thats $5 million a year.
Logic:
$38 million tells me that he is a great player and since he is 28 a really great player. So $5 million a year seems low.
Just from a pure numbers point of view how could MLS not afford $5 million per year? I was thinking these guys were making $15 million per year.
Is it just me or is MLS closer then we think to being an above average league in the world?
Try that math again, Archimedes. It’s $7m per year.
Yes, but $7M is still on par with other big name DPs are making. I believe Gio is around $6M/year. MLS is still generally reluctant to pay large transfer fees and isn’t a league of choice, but they are closing ground.
The transfer fee delta is the big hurdle. Other than that, yes, I’d agree.
Apologies for my snarky comment above. I’m ready for the weekend, apparently.
Players sometimes also get signing on fees as well don’t they? I have no idea how many do or how much they get but it would assume it would be significant for the better players because if you are going to plunk $40 mill to get somebody you want him to be happy about it.
or more accurate 40MM+35MM/5 years or 15 MM/yr if you use an NFL style calculation.
Most of the players coming to MLS have low or zero transfer fee. Average TEAM salary in MLS is about 4 MM (2014)
Difference is these teams can afford to pay 11 starters 5 mil a piece. MLS salary structure prevents this.