Cavani camp plays up talk of Toon move
EDINSON Cavani’s camp is talking up links with Newcastle United – and others can be expected to follow suit if the club’s takeover goes through, writes CIARAN KELLY.
The Uruguayan’s lucrative contract at PSG expires at the end of next month and, unless a new deal is suddenly on the cards, he may have played his last game for the club after the 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although Cavani would not command a transfer fee, the 33-year-old’s salary demands would potentially make him one of the best-paid players in the Premier League.
The Chronicle understands the forward’s camp has talked up a link with the Magpies but, ultimately, it ‘depends on the project.’
Those close to Cavani (below) believe it is ‘important to have that freedom to decide where we want to go.’ That stance should not necessarily come as a huge surprise.
With not a whole lot happening elsewhere in the football world as leagues attempt to resume and clubs count the financial cost of the coronavirus outbreak Newcastle are, tellingly, one of the few sides who continue to be linked with a host of big-name players including Barcelona forward Philippe Coutinho and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Talk of a move for Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, for example, made front-page headlines in Portugal on Saturday - but the Chronicle understands there has been no contact with the player’s representatives.
The same goes for Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.
An intermediary hoping to ‘fix’ a big-money deal, a club open to the idea of cashing in on a prized asset and offloading a big earner or an agent keen to drum up interest in their client may soon cite St James’ Park as a possible destination because of the kind of backing the club could soon have.
If the proposed takeover goes through, which would see Amanda Staveley, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the Reuben Brothers assume control, expect these kind of links to intensify despite the group’s plans to work within the constraints of Financial Fair Play.