Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Must Beat Manchester City to Sign Edinson Cavani

Napoli striker Edinson Cavani is one of the hottest commodities on the summer transfer market, and Chelsea must prevent English Premier League rival Manchester City from beating them to the proverbial punch in acquiring him.

Cavani would give the Blues a massive boost to say the least, but the Napoli star has been noncommittal in discussing the prospects of transferring from his Italian club. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has stated that negotiations with Manchester City have begun, according to ESPN.

Chelsea, meanwhile, has done the very same, as documented by CNN Italian sports correspondent Tancredi Palmeri on his Twitter page:

New manager Jose Mourinho will enter his second tenure with Chelsea after leaving La Liga giant Real Madrid. According to Palmeri, Mourinho is apparently already pulling strings in Stamford Bridge for Cavani's services:

In addition to vying for superstar Cristiano Ronaldo—which may prove cumbersome given the late-season fallout between Ronaldo and Mourinho—there is a clear focus on upgrading personnel already.

Though Chelsea managed a respectable EPL campaign in finishing third in the standings, the Blues have more work to do before catching the likes of City, who finished second, and champions Manchester United.

Outgoing manager Rafael Benitez may have been frequently criticized, but he did shore up the Blues' defense very effectively. In order to truly challenge for the league title on a consistent basis, though, the attack must be enhanced as well.

In fact, the last time Chelsea lost in the EPL came in shutout fashion—at the hands of Manchester City by a score of 2-0 on February 24. Benitez's final match on the sidelines was also against City, and the opponents again got the better of the Blues in that exhibition, 5-3.

By forking over the likely hefty transfer fee to obtain one of the most prolific scorers in the world, opponents would be even more hard-pressed to keep their sheets clean against Cavani and Chelsea.

One advantage Chelsea has is the presence Mourinho, whose past success with the club and familiarity will only help the process of recruiting Cavani. Mourinho's past success in leading the Blues to an EPL title doesn't hurt, either.

In the 2012-13 campaign, the 26-year-old prolific scorer notched 37 goals. What makes him so special, though, is his physically imposing, 6'2" frame, and that helps Cavani outmuscle opponents and move into ideal scoring position.

Cavani also has strong skills on defense for a predominantly scoring footballer, and that makes him especially lethal in utilizing his strength to wrest away the ball, then subsequently break out on a counterattack.

Especially since Fernando Torres is being targeted by Napoli and Florentina, according to the Mirror, plugging in Cavani would assuredly be an ideal replacement scenario. 

Between Juan Mata attacking from the midfield and talented youngster Eden Hazard on the wing, a new centerpiece is likely necessary if Torres departs.

That missing link should be in the form of Cavani. His presence would go a long way in ensuring the Blues can stay near the top of the EPL and also capitalize on their Champions League qualification.