Edinson Cavani's Mother Tells Atletico Madrid President to Apologise

Edinson Cavani won't join Atletico Madrid next summer unless the club's president apologises for comments he made about the striker's collapsed move from Paris Saint-Germain during the winter window.

Cavani's mother, Berta Gomez, has emphasised how much her son would love to play for Atleti. However, Gomez has also called for Enrique Cerezo to make amends for hinting financial demands of the people around Cavani scuppered things in January.

Gomez spoke to AS (h/t Alex Milne of the Daily Mirror):

"It's not impossible that Edinson could go to Atletico Madrid in the summer, as long as the president rectifies what he said. The president of Atletico must apologise. We are not spiteful and everything can be fixed if he retracts what he said. My son is going to have offers, it is unquestionable because he is a proven forward, as he has shown in all these years.

"But he keeps thinking about being able to go to Atletico because he would like to play under Cholo (Simeone)."

The conflict stems from Cerezo explaining why Atleti couldn't complete Cavani's signing, per Milne: "I don't want to point anyone out, but I think it's a shame about the situation of some players with their relatives and their representatives. It's outrageous. We're not here to be robbed or do anything strange."

Atletico's keenness to acquire Cavani this winter has been well-documented. The club has a proud tradition of featuring consistent goalscorers from Uruguay:

In December there were reports Cavani had already agreed a three-year contract with the Ligue 1 giants. However, L'Equipe (h/t MailOnline's Ben Nagle) reported on Thursday how Atleti weren't able to afford the package needed to secure Cavani's signature.

The recriminations in the aftermath of this deal going through have been fractious, but there is ample reason for Atletico to pursue the signing again during the summer. Cavani would have made a major impact during the second half of this season for a team lacking consistency at centre-forward.

Alvaro Morata remains inconsistent in front of goal, finding the net just seven times in La Liga. The Chelsea loanee left Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid with a muscle injury, joining fellow attackers Diego Costa and Joao Felix on the treatment table, per Marca (h/t Football Espana's Colin Millar).

Morata has had issues, but he's still Atleti's leading scorer. The closest contender is Angel Correa with a mere five goals, according to TalkSport's Billy Hawkins.

It hasn't helped Felix has struggled to adapt since arriving from Benfica in a deal worth €120 million last summer. Ex-Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has named Atleti boss Diego Simeone as a culprit in wasting the talents of Felix:

Cavani, the man who overtook Zlatan Ibrahimovic as PSG's record goalscorer, would add the firepower Simeone's squad needs. Yet despite his ruthless efficiency when taking chances, Cavani has often been overlooked by Thomas Tuchel this season, making just four starts in the French top flight.

Tuchel has instead chosen to make Kylian Mbappe and Neymar the central attractions in the final third. Issues with both of PSG's star names could see Cavani play a bigger role during the second half of the campaign, though.

Mbappe reacted angrily when substituted during Saturday's 5-0 win over Montpellier.

The subsequent spat has intensified rumours Mbappe will leave the Parc des Princes. Mundo Deportivo (h/t Sam Blitz of MailOnline) has reported Real are ready to make a world-record bid this summer.

Meanwhile, Neymar was booked for trying an outlandish flick past a defender against Montpellier. The decision incensed the Brazilian, but Tuchel was left unimpressed by Neymar missing Tuesday's 2-1 win over Nantes to host his birthday party, per Daniel Blackham of the Daily Express.

Cavani's contract is up this summer, but the 32-year-old still has a key role to play for PSG. More playing time will yield more goals and keep Atletico keen. While he's older than Costa and Morata, Cavani's aerial power, intelligent movement and sense of timing make him the perfect fit for Simeone's pragmatic team.