Wage demands could scupper Chelsea move for Napoli star
Published:With a £35million transfer fee believed to have been agreed between Chelsea and Napoli, personal terms between the London club and Edinson Cavani are proving harder to settle upon.
Cavani is currently one of the hottest attacking properties in world football, after a blistering campaign for Napoli which included Champions League goals against Manchester City and eventual winners Chelsea themselves.
Now in the knowledge that he is so in-demand, the Uruguayan is thought to be holding out for a contract which would see him earn around £150,000 per week, which is in excess of what the Blues were hoping to pay.
His agents are set for further talks at Stamford Bridge this week, where it will be decided whether or not owner Roman Abramovich can justify such a salary for Cavani, which would put him on a par with the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Meanwhile, Juventus are keeping a close eye on developments as they also maintain an interest in the striker, but he is now thought to be Roberto Di Matteo’s chief attacking target, bearing in mind the similarity of his playing style to the recently departed Didier Drogba.
The 26-year-old is one half of a prospective £65million arrival to Stamford Bridge in the near future, as young Brazilian international Oscar is likely to be announced as a Blues player this week.
Oscar, like Cavani, will take part in this summer’s Olympic Games, and Abramovich is expected to hold negotiations with the Internacional midfielder whilst Chelsea are away on their annual pre-season tour of the USA.
It is thought that only minor details must now be ironed out for the Oscar deal to be completed, whilst the move for Cavani remains slightly more complicated.
After his 66 goals in just 94 Napoli appearances though, it is easy to understand why Chelsea are willing to demonstrate patience in their pursuit of the physical striker.
