The start of the winter transfer window is three months away yet Barcelona has already been linked with Manchester United’s Edinson Cavani.
According to Sport, citing a report in England, the Uruguayan striker is none too pleased at his current situation with the Red Devils and could be looking for a way out.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has seen Cavani’s playing time diminish and with the looming return of Marcus Rashford and the potential of Mason Greenwood, he knows his minutes will be few and far between.
Barcelona is still in search of a striker even with the loan of De Jong.
It is no secret the Catalans have struggled to find a replacement for Luis Suarez. That was the case even before he was sold to Atletico Madrid.
Before the end of the summer transfer window, Barcelona managed to secure a loan move for Sevilla’s Luuk de Jong. The Dutch striker finally scored his first goal for the club in their 3-0 win over Levante.
Luuk de Jong first Barcelona goal! pic.twitter.com/zd7qJFSzzW
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 26, 2021
They were linked with Cavani before the deadline but decided against it. If they were interested this time around, a deal looks complicated. Cavani is on high wages with the Red Devils and Barcelona cannot pay what he’s currently earning.
Cavani is making €15 million and any sort of agreement between the two sides would see Manchester United paying part of those wages.
Barcelona has plenty of forwards but are rather thin when it comes to strikers. De Jong has started a couple of games but when he’s not on the pitch, Memphis is the one who has played through the middle.
The last thing Barcelona need is another aging player on the squad, eating up a large chunk of their wage bill. Ansu Fati made his return over the weekend and could be an alternative to De Jong. Sergio Aguero is also making his way back from injury and it would be no surprise if he becomes the starter upon his return.
While Cavani would like a move away and has been linked with Atletico Madrid in the past, a move to Barcelona makes little sense for the club. Depending on how much Man United would be willing to cover, Joan Laporta and his board may, at the very least, consider the possibility come January.