Manchester United have reportedly been dealt a blow in pursuit of Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal as Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan have also entered the race to sign the Chile international (Tuttosport)

The 30-year-old has just 18 months left on his current contract with the Bundesliga giants and his situation has drawn attention considering that he has yet to pen a fresh deal.

Though Vidal will not get any better, he still has the ability to churn out quality performances on a regular basis and has attracted interest from Mourinho as well as from Chelsea. However, United, as well as Antonio Conte’s side, are reportedly behind the Milan clubs in the race to sign him as they have made early contact with the player’s representatives.

During his time with Juventus prior to joining Bayern in 2015, Vidal did form a close relationship with Conte. He was a key player under Conte as the Old Lady went on to win three Serie A titles.

The Blues are currently fifth on the Premier League standings following their 1-0 defeat against Manchester City on Sunday and are five points adrift of Tottenham who occupy fourth place and the last Champions League qualification spot.

This will be a blow to Jose Mourinho as our midfield is the one area that we do need to strongly bolster during the summer. Michael Carrick is set to retire while the futures of Marouane Fellaini, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera are up in the air.

After signing Alexis Sanchez during the January transfer window, the midfield department is reportedly the area that we are set to prioritize during the summer transfer window.