soccer
Could Club América afford to sign Arturo Vidal?
Speculation has linked Arturo Vidal with a move to Liga MX and Club América. Could they afford the Chilean midfielder?
Not for the first time, veteran Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal has been linked with a move to Mexico and Club América in particular. The 35-year-old has had a glittering career at a number of the top European clubs, counting Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter amongst his former employers. And now there is once again speculation that he could feature in Liga MX before he comes to the end of his career.
Arturo Vidal’s Flamengo contract is valued at $3.69m over 18 months
The Chilean international only moved to Brazilian side Flamengo in July of this year, signing a 18-month contract with the Rio de Janeiro outfit. Unsurprisingly, Vidal is one of the highest earners in Brazil’s Serie A, with his contract at Fla set to make him a total of $3.69m, which works out at $205,000 a month.
The midfielder has spoken previously about playing in Mexico and has stated that a move to América would be his preference as he has fond memories of watching their games as a child. But wages are likely to be an issue for the Águilas, with Vidal already having taken a significant reduction in salary – he was allegedly on €6.5m ($6.33m) a season at Inter – when he moved to Flamengo.
Club América would have to shell out around €2m (€1.95m) to buy Vidal now
América would likely have to match the Chilean’s contract in Brazil and would undoubtedly have to pay numerous add-ons on top of his base salary. In addition, unless they were willing to wait until the player comes to the end of his contract in 2024, they would also have to pay a fee for his services. According to Transfermarkt, a website specialising in transfers and market values, Vidal is currently worth €2m ($1.95m), a value which will drop and drop as his contract runs down.
Would América be willing to break the bank for Vidal now or wait until 2024? Currently top of Liga MX’s Apertura tournament, they are doing rather well without him but his signing would certainly add a bit of stardust to both the club and the league.