In a recent report, Marca has revealed that Real Madrid have declined an offer to bring Edinson Cavani to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this summer. It is believed that Los Blancos have refused to change their stance of not making any incoming transfers during this ongoing transfer window as their main priority remains to save money so that they can get out of the financial trouble brought about the COVID-19 crisis (via Marca).
This latest development will be a bitter pill to swallow for Zinedine Zidane as he would have benefitted from adding a striker of Cavani’s experience and track record before the transfer deadline next month. Plus, the fact that the Uruguayan international is a free agent makes him an attractive option for any top club in Europe including the Madrid outfit.
However, the 33-year-old endured a difficult spell with Paris Saint-Germain last season when he struggled to earn regular first-team starts due to multiple injuries. The Salto-born marksman featured in 22 matches for Thomas Tuchel’s side in the previous campaign, registering seven goals and three assists across all fronts.
Despite his poor run with injuries, Cavani did well to average 2.0 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game in the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season. The Uruguayan centre-forward also managed to distribute the ball with conviction as he completed 84.2% of his attempted passes in the French first division (stats via whoscored).
Cavani is not the quickest of forwards these days, but he can still be a potent threat in the final third due to his prolific nature in front of the opposition goal. He is a deadly finisher inside the opponent’s penalty area and has also got the vision to play a killer pass in the decisive end of the field. At 33, Cavani can still be a versatile attacking option as he can play in multiple positions across the frontline. He is primarily a centre-forward but can also fill in on the flanks as a wide player if needed.
However, the 116-time Uruguayan international is a striker on the decline, so paying him high wages at this stage of his playing career would be a risky move for a club like Real Madrid especially when they are not actively looking for new players this summer.
Even then, missing out on Cavani will be a big blow for Zidane as he would have been the perfect back-up or even a partner in goal-scoring to Karim Benzema at the Spanish capital in the coming seasons. Furthermore, the former Napoli frontman would have improved the quality of Zidane’s match-day squad which might have been enough for them to challenge for the UEFA Champions League crown next year.