Arturo Vidal inks contract with Barcelona

Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal has signed a three-year contract with Barcelona after passing all required medical tests, the Spanish club said on Monday.

After signing the contract along with Barcelona vice president Jordi Mestre, 31-year-old Vidal headed to Camp Nou stadium for his official presentation, reports Efe.

Vidal said he aims to win as many trophies as possible with Barcelona, putting a special emphasis on the UEFA Champions League title.

"During the three-year contract, I hope we can win everything we play for," Vidal said at a press conference alongside Barcelona's Vice President Jordi Mestre and the Director of Football Eric Abidal.

"I am excited to play with Messi, Suarez, Sergio Busquets... they are all great players," he said, adding that hopefully he can win three Champions League titles during the next three seasons.

He confirmed that the right-knee surgery that sidelined him for nearly four months is a thing of the past, saying that he is physically in good shape.

Mestre, meanwhile, refused to reveal any financial details of Vidal's new contract to respect the wishes of Vidal's former team FC Bayern Munich, but sources said the new contract was worth about 19 million euros (or $22 million).

He did say that Vidal's contract includes a 300 million euros buy-out clause.

--IANS

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