Manchester United Preparing Groundbreaking Bid for Edinson Cavani

The Daily Mirror are reporting that Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United are lining up a record breaking £50 million bid for Uruguay and Napoli striker Edinson Cavani.

The news comes as somewhat of a shock for footballing fans in general, with the impression given in recent weeks that Cavani would be hooking up with either Real Madrid or United's Premier League rivals Chelsea FC.

The move would allegedly be funded by the transfer of Wayne Rooney away from the club, but it would also not hamper the potential arrival of Barcelona superstar Thiago Alcantara.

One has to wonder, is Cavani, the good player that he is, really worth David Moyes splashing out this much on him?

For starters, United are not really in need of a striker right now. Even if Wayne Rooney does eventually end up leaving the club, the likes of Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie can easily fill the void left behind by the scouser's exit.

Secondly, despite showing a natural ability in Serie A for the past few seasons, Cavani has failed time and time again on the big stage and in important matches.

His performances with the Uruguayan national team during the Confederations Cup and the 2012 Olympic games have left many fans who may not have seen him play in Italy wondering what all the hype is about.

This writer has seen the best of Cavani, but he still questions whether or not this is the type of player that the club really needs at this moment in time.

A move to Chelsea makes sense for the 26-year-old, with the London Blues in desperate need of a consistent goal scorer upfront in the league.

This is £50 million that could be put towards improving a midfield that has failed to match up to United's rivals over the course of the last five or so years, as opposed to being splashed out on a somewhat unnecessary center forward.

Whilst the Daily Mirror has not always been the most reliable of sources, I have found that over the years, they do hit the odd nail on the head from time to time.

United fans may want to wish this is not one of those occasions.

However, that being said, Cavani is a world class talent, and bringing a player of his quality to a side can only improve the standard of their football. He's just not quite what the Red Devils need right now.

Follow me on Twitter: @Eddie_Edmonds