It was only a matter of time before Manchester United joined in on the race to try and sign Edinson Cavani from Napoli, probably the best “for sale” striker in Europe at the moment.
According to the Daily Mirror, having one top scorer on the team (Robin van Persie, best in the Premier League last season), isn’t enough. Edinson Cavani led the Serie A with 29 goals in 34 matches, and has been in constant scoring form since signing with the club.
This has led Napoli to feel confident they’ll be able to get the full price of his release clause €63 million, which has already turned away Manchester City from the player. While United do have some cash to splash this summer, there are plenty of needs across the pitch, especially in the midfield, which makes their “interest” in Cavani slightly questionable.
However, some think it all has to do with the departure of Wayne Rooney, who has plenty of suitors himself. If Moyes actually sells Rooney, that deal should finance at least half of the Cavani arrival, which makes it a bit more plausible before we get into the question if Van Persie and Cavani can play side by side.
For anyone interested in Cavani, news from Napoli’s official radio station (Radio Marte) might be a bit of a downer, reporting that Napoli have accepted a €58 million offer from Chelsea from the player, with an €8.5 million salary attached to the deal.
From Napoli themselves nothing has been heard, except for Aurelio De Laurentiis, who keeps saying Cavani isn’t going anywhere for less than the full price, and will make his decision on his next team by July 10, waiting for the end of the Confederations Cup, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he eventually remains with Napoli, where he’ll have Champions League football next season.