Edinson Cavani holds all the cards when it comes to his future in football.
With 200 goals, Cavani is Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer but his time in the French capital is winding down as the 33-year-old’s current contract expires on June 30.
There have been reports that Cavani could be retained by the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions but nothing has materialized as of yet and considering he was close to leaving last January for Atlético Madrid, my bet is that this is El Matador‘s last season with PSG especially if Mauro Icardi is retained.
So, what’s next for Cavani? There’s no shortage of clubs interested in the Uruguayan international. He’s been linked with a move back to South America to play for Boca Juniors and a return to Serie A with Napoli has been suggested as well.
While I think those are definitely options worth considering, I believe Cavani’s next move will be to the Premier League where Manchester United and Newcastle United FC appear to be the frontrunners to sign him when the summer (or fall?) transfer window opens up.
Having watched Cavani the past few seasons, it is my opinion that a move to Newcastle makes the most sense but only if the Saudi Arabia-funded takeover goes through. Otherwise, the club won’t have enough money to pay the wages Cavani would demand.
Assuming everything with Newcastle goes to plan and they can be major players in the transfer window, Cavani makes sense for a lot of reasons.
First, Cavani’s name is known around the globe. I don’t watch the Premier League on a consistent basis and only know Allan Saint-Maximin plays there because of his time in Ligue 1. Cavani would immediately boost the Newcastle brand whereas Manchester United already has notable internationals like Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.
On the pitch, Cavani is famous for his work rate and it’s a big reason why PSG fans sing his name at the Parc des Princes while some of his more high-profile teammates don’t even have a song.
I think that aspect of Cavani’s game will translate better in Newcastle than in Manchester because while Cavani will run his legs off, he is 33 and his goalscoring ability has taken a dip (only seven goals in 22 appearances) as Father Time begins to catch up with him. The bright lights at Old Trafford could prove too much for him at this stage in his career and their fans would be quick to turn on him I feel.
Finally, I believe the culture at Newcastle fits Cavani’s personality. Despite playing for a glamour club like PSG, Cavani is anti-glamour. Even when he pushed for a transfer last January, it didn’t turn into the soap opera that we went through last summer with Neymar Jr.
🧍🏻👧🧍🏼♀️🤝… pic.twitter.com/NyVlAyqXau
— Edi Cavani Official (@ECavaniOfficial) April 14, 2020
Currently, Cavani is on his farm in Uruguay hanging out with his family and horses while Neymar, for example, is hanging out in his luxury estate in Brazil. Both Manchester and Newcastle are blue-collar cities, but United is one of the glamour clubs of the Premier League while Newcastle is still very much the underdog that has been kicked for years.
When I close my eyes, I can see Cavani wearing the black-and-white stripes of Newcastle and it’s been reported that his entourage doesn’t rule out the possibility either.
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