?Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal could miss Chile’s friendly match against Mexico on Friday, after being denied entry to the United States due to visa issues.
Chile are set to take on El Tri in San Diego at the end of the week, before travelling to Texas to face the USA next Tuesday. Reinaldo Rueda’s side failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but will be looking to bounce back with a couple of good results, ahead of their Copa América campaign in the summer.
According to Chilean outlet 24 Horas, via Sport, Vidal recently altered his passport, which saw his visa blocked when attempting to enter the United States. While this issue is not deemed to be too problematic, it isn’t likely to be resolved until Thursday – which gives him no time to train with his teammates ahead of Friday’s match.
Given Vidal’s invaluable experience – he has over 100 caps for his country – he’ll be a massive loss for La Roja, and Rueda might just be tempted to throw the veteran midfielder into the fray on Friday despite a possible lack of training. Alongside the 31-year-old, other stars in the squad include Bayer Leverkusen’s Charles Aránguiz and defensive stalwart Gary Medel, who plays for Be?ikta?.
On the domestic front, Vidal has been in fine form for ?Barcelona this season, and has played an important role in their dominance of ?La Liga this season. Arriving from ?Bayern Munich in the summer, the robust tackler has been a ferocious presence in the Catalan giants’ midfield, and gives them some much needed grit to complement their trademark flair.
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In other news, ?Barcelona are believed to have missed out on Atlético Madrid ace Saul Ñiguez, as ?Manchester City are now the frontrunners to sign the 24-year-old. The player’s representatives have publicly stated that their client intends to leave in the summer, and could cost the Citizens around €80m.
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