Top-flight duo will now have to switch their attentions elsewhere.
Chelsea and Manchester City look like missing out on their number one striking target of the summer after Spanish giants Real Madrid moved into pole position to sign coveted Napoli front man Edinson Cavani, reports the Guardian.
The deadly Uruguay international is currently one of the most in-demand attackers plying their trade on the Continent, having netted an impressive 104 goals in just 138 appearances in all competitions for his club, including 78 strikes in just 104 league contests, since he joined the Serie A outfit from Palermo for 17 million euros in July 2010.
However, with a buy-out clause worth a reported £53.5m in the five-year contract that Cavani signed with Napoli three years ago, both Chelsea and City have so far been reluctant to meet the Italian club’s asking price.
Madrid, though, are understood to be happy to splash the cash on the red-hot forward and have already met the player’s agent this week in the Spanish capital to discuss a potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu for next season, as a result scuppering the Premier League duo’s hopes of landing Cavani this summer themselves.
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