• Premier League

Chelsea and City target Cavani 'dreamed' of Spain

ESPN staff
May 29, 2013
Napoli striker Edinson Cavani was the top scorer in Serie A this season with 29 league goals © PA Photos
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Chelsea and Manchester City's hopes of signing Napoli striker Edinson Cavani have been dealt a blow after the Uruguayan admitted he dreamed as a boy of playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Cavani, Serie A's top-scorer last season, has been linked with a move to the Etihad or Stamford Bridge in the English press, while the Spanish media insist Madrid is his preferred destination, but the 26-year-old says "only God knows" what his future holds.

Cavani is currently back in South America preparing for Uruguay's busy upcoming schedule, which includes a friendly against France on June 5, a World Cup 2014 qualifier against Venezuela on June 11, and the Confederations Cup, which begins June 16.

And he told local reporters, in comments picked up by Spanish newspapers Marca and AS, that playing for either of the Liga giants had been his ambition when growing up.

"When we are little we always dream, and the first teams that come into your head are those on the world stage, for their marketing, their image, their publicity," Cavani said. "That makes you dream about how nice it would be to play for Real Madrid, to play for Barcelona."

Asked whether he was aware of firm interest from Madrid, who reportedly want him to replace the outgoing Gonzalo Higuain, Cavani was coy.

"It is all an unknown and nobody knows," he said. "When the moment comes we will see. As long as there is nothing signed, there is nothing done. All the talk does not concern me nor distract me. Only God knows what might happen. I am relaxed with what I am doing."

Cavani's current contract has four years left to run and new manager Rafael Benitez will be eager to keep his star man, while Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly unwilling to accept anything less than the €63million release clause.

And Cavani suggested that staying at the Stadio San Paolo is a perfectly viable option.

"I have a contract at Napoli," Cavani added. "I ended the season not long ago knowing that we had achieved a nice objective in qualifying [for the Champions League] and also fulfilling a personal objective that is very important for me: to be the top scorer in the league. [Napoli] today are one of the most famous teams in the world."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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