Why PSG's Edinson Cavani Would Not Be a Good Transfer for Juventus

Boasting Serie A’s best attack this season has not prevented Juventus from seeking ways in which to bolster their front line ahead of next season. While Carlos Tevez is currently the league’s leading scorer and Alvaro Morata has begun to evolve into a reliable second banana, there remains a feeling the other striking options in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad can be improved upon.

It seems almost certain that Paulo Dybala will arrive from Palermo as the club look to do just that, with La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Yahoo Sports) believing that a deal for the 21-year-old is already in place. Kingsley Coman is a talented prospect, while Alessandro Matri—currently at Juventus on loan—was merely a stopgap alternative once Sebastian Giovinco decided to leave early for Toronto FC.

Fernando Llorente’s position was debated in this previous column, and recent weeks have seen Edinson Cavani emerge as a possible target for the Bianconeri. David Amoyal wrote on Sky Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio's website that the Old Lady were in the process of negotiating a summer move for the Paris Saint-Germain striker.

The Sky Italia journalist reported that the Italian club had been in regular contact with the Uruguayan star and that Juve think the two clubs can reach an agreement. However, no talks with Cavani’s current club are thought to have been held, and it is unlikely the Ligue 1 side would be open to a cut-price deal.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

PSG paid a staggering €64.5 million to Napoli less than two years ago, and given the sizable fee the Bianconeri look set to pay for Dybala, a huge fee for Cavani makes little sense from a financial standpoint.

In terms of on-field production, it must also be noted that the player who left Serie A in the summer of 2013 is no longer the same lethal striker. His production has nose-dived severely after netting 104 times in 138 appearances for Napoli; Cavani has scored just 16 league goals for PSG this term against comparatively weaker opponents.

If some of that is viewed as a consequence of subverting his natural instincts to play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, statistics from Squawka.com help support the view that his prowess is in decline. Having hit the target with 67 percent of his shots last term, he has dropped to a mark of just 43 percent this season against Champions League opposition.

Squawka.com

As a 28-year-old, he remains young enough for this to merely be a blip, but Juventus need more than just the willing workhorse Cavani has returned to being. Just as he was at Palermo and with his national team, the player has regressed to simply running the flank, happy to be a peripheral figure even when much more is required.

Always able to track back and help the defence, his effort is admirable, but given the outlay needed to prise him away from the French capital, the Bianconeri would expect the cutting edge he once guaranteed. Indeed, when asked by Le Parisien about a potential offer for Cavani, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi left no uncertainty as to how he values the player.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

"I have not held talks with Cavani over his future. He is a young player and is the future of PSG,” he said recently (h/t Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News). "A €50m offer from Manchester United? I would not even look at such a bid.”

The player, too, is in no mood to discuss an exit, as he told Sky Italia after his current club were eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona. “There is too much talk about my future but I will remain here,” Cavani said (h/t ESPN FC). “I will respect my contract and I'm only focusing on doing well for PSG.”

Still a very talented striker, a Juventus move for Edinson Cavani makes little sense for all concerned.