Vidal blasts Barca, ready to leave club
Chilean urges team to 'change their way of thinking' as he seeks to terminate his contract
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Barcelona's Arturo Vidal during a training session on Monday. Italian Serie A club Inter Milan are reportedly leading the race to sign the Chile midfielder.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
BARCELONA • Arturo Vidal is on his way out of Barcelona. He is one of three more players, including Luis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti, that new coach Ronald Koeman wants to get rid of to make way for new blood.
The 33-year-old made 43 appearances in all competitions last term, scoring eight goals. But he has been made a scapegoat following the La Liga club's first trophyless campaign in 12 years and their heaviest-ever European defeat, crushed 8-2 by eventual winners Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Vidal is in talks with Barca's hierarchy over an early termination of his contract, which still has a year to run, while Croatia's Ivan Rakitic was yesterday sold to Sevilla for an initial €1.5 million (S$2.4 million).
Serie A outfit and Europa League finalists Inter Milan are said to be leading the race to land the Chile midfielder, who has all but burnt his bridges after his scathing comments about how far the Catalan giants have fallen.
In a video interview published on YouTube over the weekend, he slammed the club for only "having 13 professional players and the rest youngsters".
On the chaos that has ensued at the Nou Camp, resulting in captain Lionel Messi handing in a transfer request, the veteran said: "Barcelona have to change their way of thinking.
"Football has moved on a lot and the DNA is being left behind because other teams are improving in other aspects.
"Football at the moment is more physical, more dependent on power and speed, and the technical side is sometimes less important.
"In the end, you pay the price when you face an organised team, a team that has a winning mentality, with players who prepare themselves physically, and who have a strong playing system.
"That ends up costing you when you're weak mentally and in terms of energy. That's what happened.
"The last three years are not what a team like Barcelona deserves. You cannot always win with DNA."
Messi's father and representative, Jorge, is expected to meet the Barcelona hierarchy, including president Josep Maria Bartomeu, today to discuss the forward's future.
Multiple media reports indicated that the Argentina international, the club's greatest goalscorer (634), is bent on leaving the Nou Camp. He wants to exercise a clause that allows him to leave for free but Barca argue the deadline expired in June.
However, former vice-president Jordi Mestre believes a compromise can be reached, telling Spanish radio station Cadena SER: "What I can say is that I hope they reconsider, sit down and find solutions.
"The exit would have to be very dignified and one Leo deserves. The best player in history does not leave with a burofax."
The Messi saga is likely to be still hanging over the club when the team kicks off the new league season later this month.
The fixture list was released on Monday although Barca, Atletico Madrid, Europa League winners Sevilla and champions Real Madrid have been allowed to start the term later due to their European exertions - the other teams commence next weekend.
All four sides are expected to play their first game on the weekend of Sept 20, with the first Clasico taking place on Oct 25 at Barca before the reverse fixture on April 11.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE