TUCHEL HOPES CAVANI WILL STAY AT PSG

SINGAPORE: Thomas Tuchel said it was his ‘biggest wish’ for Edinson Cavani (in pic) to stay at Paris Saintgermain on Monday after reports linking the Uruguay striker to Real Madrid. Tuchel appeared surprised by Real’s interest in Cavani, as reported by Spanish media, when he heard about it after a 3-2 friendly win over Atletico Madrid in Singapore. “This is my feeling and my biggest wish and I have not heard such a thing,” Tuchel said, when asked if he would like to keep Cavani at PSG. “I talked to Edinson some days ago, he didn’t mention anything. He said he was looking forward to coming back, he said he’s looking forward to joining us to achieve all his goals with us and our team. He’s a key player for us and there’s no thought about giving him away.” Unconfirmed reports say European champions Real are interested in Cavani as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Juventus on a €100 million deal. The elegant forward, a member of PSG’S ‘MCN’ strike force along with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, has been with PSG for five seasons after moving from Napoli. The 31-year-old has reportedly admitted to having problems with Neymar, who arrived for a world-record fee last year, but said he had resolved them with the Brazilian. Tuchel is still without his full squad with Marquinhos set to arrive on Tuesday and Neymar flying in ahead of Saturday’s French Cup game against Monaco in China.