Uruguayan international expected to secure €63m move to Paris.
Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed he has sent Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis a congratulatory text over his successful negotiations with PSG.
Despite interest from both Chelsea and Real Madrid, it is understood that the Ligue 1 champions are the only club to have satisfied Cavani’s release clause fee, thus leading to owner De Laurentiis giving up on his hopes of keeping the 26-year-old.
Reports in the Italian media have been rife over the past few days that a deal is now in place, with some outlets suggesting that the player will be officially unveiled next week.
Zamparini, in an interview with Radio Radio as quoted by ESPN, has revealed that the rumours do have grounds for truth after he congratulated De Laurentiis on standing firm over the player’s release clause.
“I have texted [Napoli president Aurelio] De Laurentiis to congratulate him on doing even better than I did [while dealing with PSG].
“He has outdone the €43 million (£37m) that we got for Javier Pastore when we sold him to PSG,” Zamparini said.
“De Laurentiis had to make this deal. He did well to say that he wanted a transfer fee like this.
“Cavani is a unique player. He couldn’t stay at Napoli because he has to think about his career and PSG are offering him €8m (£6.9m) per year.”
It appears as though the former Palermo striker’s future has now been sealed, and he will ply his trade in Paris next season.
At this stage it is unlikely any of PSG’s rivals for his signature will now meet his release clause fee, with Napoli reportedly rejecting player exchange deals with the likes of Chelsea.
The move also represents continued investment from the French champions in Serie A, with director Leonardo spending well over €250m on players from Italy since his arrival at the club two years ago.
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