Re: Cavani Speculation/News
Napoli striker Edinson Cavani close to joining Manchester City as Manuel Pellegrini prepares to arrive from Málaga
Right colours: Manchester City believe they are close to completing the signing of Napoli's Edinson Cavani
Picture: REUTERS
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By Jason Burt11:59PM BST 25 May 2013
Manchester City are hoping to announce the signing of Napoli striker Edinson Cavani soon after Manuel Pellegrini is appointed as the club’s new manager.
Pellegrini should be officially confirmed as Roberto Mancini’s successor immediately after Málaga’s final league game of the season away to Barcelona next Saturday. The Chilean has already declared that he will leave Málaga, who have waived the release fee in his contract so he can join Manchester City.
During the club’s post-season tour to the United States, which ended on Saturday night, City chief executive Ferran Soriano stated he was close to closing deals for some of the prime transfer targets and Cavani is understood to be chief among those.
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There was further good news for the club with the announcement that Sergio Agüero had ended uncertainty over his future by signing a one-year contract extension which keeps him at City until 2017.
There is, though, still some nervousness at City that other clubs, chiefly Real Madrid, might try to gazump the deal they have been discussing with Napoli’s flamboyant owner Aurelio de Laurentiis.
City have confirmed an interest in Cavani but insist he is only one of a number of strikers they are considering.
The Italians have proposed a swap deal involving City’s Edin Dzeko – with City also paying cash for Cavani – and it is understood that the Bosnian striker would be keen to make the move.
Dzeko wants to leave City, having grown frustrated at his lack of opportunities, if a deal can be brokered this summer while Cavani is valued at around £50 million.
Signing the prolific 26-year-old Uruguayan would be a coup for City and would also help Pellegrini, whose impending appointment has been met with a mixed response from the club’s supporters.
City need to recruit a striker, especially if Dzeko is sold, as they have yet to replace Mario Balotelli, who was sold in January to AC Milan. The club have indicated that they will sit down with Carlos Tévez, who has one year left on his present contract, as have Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott, to decide whether he wants to sign an extension and remain at the club.
Agüero, who scored the goal which clinched the 2011-12 Premier League for City, had been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid following the break-up of his marriage to Giannina, the mother of the couple’s son, Ben.
With Real’s interest growing in recent weeks, both Agüero and Soriano had rejected the prospect of the player leaving the club while speaking during the post-season tour of the United States.
And Agüero, a £34 million buy from Atlético Madrid two years ago, has now joined defender Gaël Clichy in committing himself to a new deal at the club in the wake of Roberto Mancini’s sacking as manager two weeks ago.
City have withdrawn from the bidding for the Brazilian striker Neymar and while Chelsea remain interested in the 21-year-old striker, with technical director Michael Emenalo having recently travelled to Brazil to again hold talks, it appears he is set to join Barcelona.
Neymar’s club Santos confirmed on their website that two offers had been received and it has been widely assumed the other bidder is Real Madrid – but Chelsea cannot be ruled out. The bids have been accepted with Santos leaving the final decision on which club he joins down to Neymar.
It had been assumed that Neymar would see out the final year of his contract at Santos and then leave Brazil following the World Cup finals next summer.
However, the club are anxious to cash in on the striker who has scored 138 goals in 229 games and has refused to extend his contract. It is believed the offers are for €25 million (£21.5 million).