Spanish side Atletico Madrid will have to cough out £8.5million if they want to land Paris Saint-Germain stiker Edinson Cavani in the January transfer window.
It is understood that the two clubs have already met over the terms of a transfer and a personal agreement has already been reached between Atleti and the striker. According to report, Cavani would command a €14m transfer fee and is currently on €18m in wages, making a January switch to Madrid almost impossible..
In order to afford the asking price, Atletico must sell before buying and may even be forced to wait until the summer, when the Uruguayan becomes a free agent. Cavani joined the Paris-based club from Napoli in 2013 for a reported fee of €64m. He has scored a total of 195 goals and has gone on to win different trophies for PSG during his seven-years spell.
Cavani, who has been heavily linked to a move away from Parc de Princess, has made 11 appearances for PSG this season, in which he has netted three goals. The PSG star has been affected by injuries but that has not prevented Atletico expressing an interest in the Uruguay international. It was learned that the PSG forward rejected a move to MLS club Inter Miami in favour of remaining in European football.
Diego Simeone’s side are currently fourth in the LaLiga standings, seven points behind leaders Barcelona. And they are in need of attacking reinforcements following the injury to Diego Costa in November. The former Chelsea striker was ruled out for up to three months after having an operation on a back problem.
El Mundo Deportivo cited a report on Spanish radio station Cadena Ser that the Cavani will arrive at Los Rojiblancos, but only in the event of Diego Costa leaving the club over the summer – a move which never happened.
Atleti have also been linked to other strikers including Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner of RB Leipzig.