Man City increasingly likely to make move for prolific forward
Published:Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was gleefully using his side’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City as proof that money isn’t everything in football, but will he maintain that belief if offered an irresistible sum for Edinson Cavani next summer?
The Uruguayan forward scored both Azzurri goals as they emerged as 1/3 favourites to reach the Champions League knockout rounds – the Premier League table-toppers are now 11/5 outsiders – having also fired at the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini, who was already an admirer, was full of praise in his post-match interview, noting that: “Cavani is a good striker who has scored a lot of goals in Serie A and works for the team. He showed tonight that he’s a very good player.”
Ray Wilkins in the Sky Sports commentary box was another to comment that a move to the Premier League is a logical next step for the 24-year-old.
It is a stance that disrespects a Napoli side whose displays in big matches this season have been far more impressive than their odds of 50/1 to win the Champions League indicate, however the general pattern is that what Manchester City want, they get.
Of course, Mancini has stopped short of saying that he intends to sign Cavani, pointing to the talent currently at his disposal, yet Tuesday night was the second time in the space of a few months that he has upstaged the likes of Edin Dzeko.
The FA Cup winners can’t afford to waste time wallowing in their European disappointment though because they have some tricky domestic fixtures on the horizon that will severely test their 4/6-rated title credentials.
They head to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday in a game that they are 7/5 to win and must face Chelsea and Arsenal over the next month, in addition to travelling to north London for their Carling Cup quarter-final against the Gunners.
