How Much Is PSG's Edinson Cavani Worth in the Current Transfer Market?

In 2013, when Paris Saint-Germain dipped into the transfer market for a world-class centre-forward, they spent a reported €64 million, per the Guardian, on Uruguayan Edinson Cavani from Italian club Napoli.

At the time, the 26-year-old was on the top of his game after scoring 29 league goals in Serie A. Meanwhile, PSG had just been knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, and it was believed that a striker would get the French club a step closer to Europe’s elite.

It hasn’t quite worked out as the Parisians had planned, and now, two years on, PSG could be persuaded to sell the forward in order to move to the next level.

Manchester United have been heavily linked, per the Express, with making a move for the 28-year-old, but one of the biggest questions is how much Cavani is worth in the current transfer market.

There are a few factors involved when trying to put an accurate price on what Cavani would cost this summer. His current contract, age, Copa America commitments and whether or not PSG have to or want to sell when the window opens at the end of the season.

It is a simple fact that the striker is two years older than he was when PSG bought him, and once a player gets over 27, his value will start to decrease with age.

As his contract doesn’t end until the summer of 2018, PSG hold the higher ground. They could still command a large fee and not have to worry about him leaving for free.

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

This season, Cavani suffered a bit of a slump when fatigue hit following the summer’s World Cup. He didn’t miss the start of the season, but he didn’t have much of a pre-season, with Uruguay making it to the last 16 of the tournament in Brazil.

He will spend another summer away from Paris at the end of this season, as Uruguay will travel to Chile for the 2016 Copa America. If they go as far as expected, it would be another season without a proper break for the forward, something that could have a huge impact on any potential transfer and his ability to settle in new surroundings.

That could not only affect his value, but determine if clubs are willing to take a chance on him.

After scoring 16 league goals in his first season in France, it was expected he would improve once he adapted. However, with just one game left in this campaign, he would need to score against Stade de Reims on the final day to better last season’s tally.

Spending €64 million on a striker will never guarantee results, but when that amount of money is spent on a forward who has scored 29 league goals in Serie A, the hope is that you are buying at least a similar level of production.

It’s that failure that will make PSG seriously think about Cavani’s future at the club.

Claude Paris/Associated Press

One factor that could lower his value is PSG’s need to move players in the summer. If they want to try and lure a big-name signing, financial fair play restrictions dictate that they'll need to raise some extra capital before they can afford to spend anything north of €55 million.

If Cavani ends up being the difference between PSG landing or missing out on their top target, the club could be convinced to take €5 to 10 million less than their asking price.

Cavani’s strong end to the season, scoring 11 goals in 10 games, will keep the top clubs interested, which could help the Parisians get a good deal. However, there was a point at the start of 2015 when the Uruguayan went over 600 minutes without a goal in Ligue 1.

Strikes in the Coupe de la Ligue final and the hat-trick against Guingamp will bring his value back up, banishing away those previous league blues.

If Cavani was worth €64 million back in 2013 at Napoli, even with his ups and downs, you would expect someone to have to pay around €50 million this summer, although in true footballing terms he probably isn’t worth more than €40 million.

The needs of any potential club looking to sign Cavani mixed with PSG’s possible need to sell in the summer could make for interesting negotiations on both sides of the table.