Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Bayern Munich sign Arturo Vidal from Juventus for €37 million

Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing of Arturo Vidal from Juventus after agreeing a €37 million fee with the Serie A champions.

Bayern had already announced that Vidal was set to join and the 28-year-old has now completed the switch after a successful medical.

Vidal has signed a contract until 2019 and it contains an option for another year, sporting executive Matthias Sammer told reporters during the unveiling of the Chile international in Munich on Tuesday. 

German tabloid Bild reported Vidal is set to earn an annual salary of €10m.

Juventus confirmed via a statement to their investors that they received a fee of €37m from the sale of Arturo Vidal to Bayern Munich. This amount will be payable over the next two years.

It could rise by a further €3 million "based on the achievement of certain sporting objectives."

Sammer said that Bayern had kept the tabs on Vidal even before his switch from Colo Colo to Bayer Leverkusen in 2007, and praised the Chile international for his winning mentality.

"We want to write history and win a [Bundesliga record] fourth consecutive league title. We need protagonists, who have already achieved that. He embodies it," Sammer said of Vidal, who won four Serie A titles during his four years at Juventus.

The former world class player added: "Complexity is his middle name. He's got two good feet, he's a strong player, his technical abilities are good, he often scores the opening goal and he is tactically flexible. He embodies a winner by the way he plays."

Vidal, who has 69 caps for Chile, won four consecutive Serie A titles and one Coppa Italia, as well as helping the club reach May's Champions League final, where they were beaten by Barcelona.

"I'm very happy," Vidal told Bayern's official website. "This is a new step in my career and I hope I do well here. I want to help the team and win trophies. It's a dream come true for me personally.

"I wanted to take another big step forward in my career. I want to keep developing as a player and win important trophies like the Champions League. I think the best opportunity to do so is with Bayern.

"We [Juve] weren't a long way off winning all three competitions last season. I hope we can pull it off with Bayern. That has to be the target."

Vidal also posted a message to the Juve fans on his Twitter account, which read: "It's a very special day and I want to send heartfelt greetings to all the Juventus fans in the world.

"Thanks for these four fantastic years together. I would like to wish you the best luck in the world and I promise you will always be in my heart. Always a Juventino at heart. Arturo."

The midfielder, reported to have cost up to €37m, could make his debut in the German Supercup against Wolfsburg on Saturday.

"I am ready," Vidal said during his unveiling.

Vidal had been a target for the Bavarians when he joined Juve from Bayer Leverkusen for €12.5m in 2011, and Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge strongly criticised the player at the time for opting to move to Turin. 

However, Rummenigge said earlier this month that he had been given false information, telling reporters: "The message we were given was that the player didn't want to come, but that's not true.

"It was Leverkusen who clearly turned down what was a better offer from us at the time purely because they didn't want Vidal to continue playing in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich."

The Chile international added on the news conference: "Back then I opted for Juventus because of my language and my family. I have developed. I am now ready to wear the Bayern Munich jersey."

Vidal had joined Leverkusen for €5.6m in 2007 after winning back-to-back titles at Colo Colo in his native Chile.

The youngster was played as a defensive midfielder in his first three years at the club, before being moved into a more attacking role by then Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes.

He scored 10 goals, set up a further 11 and helped Leverkusen to a second-place finish in 2011, before leaving Bayer for Juve after 117 Bundesliga games.

He also picked up several yellow and red cards, but Vidal believes that the time in Italy helped him cultivate his style so that he does not need to fear the German referees.

"I don't think I have to change my style of play. I have developed it further in Italy, and will also show my physical strength in Bundesliga," he said.

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