Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani. (Photo : Getty Images)
La Liga side Atletico Madrid is eyeing Uruguay international Edinson Cavani this summer, but the striker is keen on staying with Paris Saint-Germain next season.
ESPN indicated that the 29-year-old goal scorer was enticed by international teammate Diego Godin to join him in the Spanish top flight with Atletico Madrid and that Cavani was "flattered" by Los Colchoneros' interest.
It was also mentioned that the Uruguayan is "a long-time target for (Atletico manager) Diego Simeone", with the rumors coming out in the middle of speculation that the head coach "is considering leaving unless the club make big-name signings this summer".
Cavani was acquired by Les Parisiens in the summer of 2013 from Italian Serie A squad SSC Napoli for an undisclosed transfer fee which is believed to be in the vicinity of €64 million. It made him the sixth largest football transfer in history at that time and broke the French transfer record of €60 million set by Radamel Falcao when he moved to Monaco from Atleti also in the same window.
While the Salto, Uruguay native was said to be grateful for Atletico's attention and that the interest was well noted, he confirmed that he will discuss things with PSG boss Laurent Blanc first before he resolves his future in the sport.
"I have a contract at the moment with PSG, but first I must talk about certain things with the coach," Cavani said. "The decision to stay or not is not down to just one person but should be between the coach and the player, with lots of factors on the table."
Meanwhile, Caught Offside reported that Cavani was "happy" about Atleti's consideration and that the future is open for someone like him.
"Atletico Madrid are a competitive team and have shown interest in me, which is nice as it makes me happy when teams show interest," he said. "Then you never know how far things will go."
"I spoke with (Uruguay captain) Godin, he knows me, and he let me know that he would like me to go and join Atletico Madrid," he added. "We are all friends in the national team and Diego is in contact with us all, as he is the captain, and very close to all his teammates. Sometimes it is inevitable to speak about the club where he is. It is normal that he asks things about me. He has said it too in the media. It is nothing new."
