Vidal turned down Inter to join Barca

It became clear over the course of the summer that there was no future for the 31-year-old in Bavaria, with new boss Niko Kovac telling him as such early on in pre-season.

That left one major question: Who would be his next club?

According to 'Sport', it came down to a straight shootout between Barca and Inter for the powerful midfielder's services, with the former coming out on top.

Ernesto Valverde's side were keen to add to their options in the middle of the park after allowing club legend Andres Iniesta and Brazilian international Paulinho to leave the club and with question marks existing over how quickly Arthur would adapt to European football.

Vidal's combination of experience and availability made him an interesting prospect, though the 'Blaugrana' faced competition for his signature, with the Milan-based outfit having been long-term admirers of the midfielder.

Having enjoyed a slow start to life at Camp Nou, Vidal could be handed some precious minutes of action when Barca take on Inter at San Siro in the Champions League.

However, had things been ever so slightly different, Vidal could easily have been lining up for the 'Nerazzurri' on Tuesday night.