Napoli Owner Open to Edinson Cavani Return If He 'Lowers His Demands'

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has left the door open for Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani to return to the club, but he says Cavani will need to be prepared to take a pay cut.

Cavani spent three seasons with Napoli before joining PSG in 2013, and De Laurentiis is happy to have him back if Cavani wants to leave the French side.

De Laurentiis told Le Parisien (h/t Football Italia):

"There are many things in Paris, but the weather isn't as exceptional as it is in Naples.

"Is that a message for Cavani? It only depends on him. Our doors are always open to him.

"I'm not Qatari, so if he doesn't want to play for PSG anymore and lowers his demands, we'll find an agreement with the French club.

"No one wants to keep a player of his quality when they're unhappy. He's not 24 anymore, but it's almost impossible for him to get hurt. He's elastic, and he can play until he's 38."

The Uruguayan scored 104 goals in just 138 games in Naples to earn his move to PSG, and he's still revered there five years later:

He doesn't seem to enjoy quite the same status at PSG, though.

Since his move, Cavani has netted 176 goals for Les Parisiens to become their all-time record goalscorer, but the majority of his time at the club has been spent under the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Neymar.

The arrival of the Brazilian and Kylian Mbappe has seen him cut something of an isolated figure on the pitch:

ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson has also expressed some concern over the striker, despite him netting six goals in nine matches this season:

A return to Naples, where he would be the fan favourite and the main man, would likely appeal to the 31-year-old, even if they can't match the silverware on offer in the French capital.

However, according to L'Equipe, the striker is the second-highest earner in Ligue 1 behind Neymar and receives €1.54 million each month.

Few teams in Europe could match that, so if Cavani does move to Napoli or elsewhere, it's likely he will have to be prepared to accept a much lower salary.