Edinson Cavani is in advanced talks with Boca Juniors over a move that would take him back to his native South America.
The Uruguayan’s contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of the season and he will leave Manchester United on a free transfer. A number of clubs in Europe have enquired about taking the 35-year-old but Argentine giants Boca are in the box seat to land his signature.
Cavani was furious with United last summer after being given assurances that they would not bring in another striker. He had managed 17 goals the previous season and turned down several offers thinking he’d be the main man at the club.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo was then signed and he came in at United to take up the role of central striker. And Ronaldo’s presence combined with injuries has made for a difficult season for Cavani.
This time out he has managed just two goals, his last year in the top flight fizzling out without any real bang. Boca were one of the parties who tried to sign him last summer and they have maintained their interest in taking him.
The club sit second in Group B of the Argentine Primera Division and hope the former Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain star will bring some stardust to the club.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Has Cavani been harshly treated by Man Utd this season? Let us know in the comments
Cavani is one of a host of players that look destined to leave United at the end of the season, with incoming manager Erik ten Hag hoping to launch a dramatic overhaul of the playing squad.
The Ajax boss, who was confirmed as their new First Team Manager last week, inherits a team with a number of ageing stars, many of whom have uncertain futures. Nemanja Matic has already confirmed he will be leaving this summer, cutting short his contract by 12 months.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard are all slated to become free agents in the next few weeks, although Red Devils legend Paul Scholes has hinted the latter could remain at his boyhood club.
Lingard spent the second half of last season on loan with West Ham, rediscovering his best form with some sparking performances for the Hammers. However, like Cavani, promises of regular involvement have not materialised and he has remained a man on the peripheries.
But Scholes believes that the England international could fit what Ten Hag is looking for, in terms of all-action, high engine players. “He’s deserved a chance. We all saw what he did at West Ham,” he told talkSPORT.
“He’s a really good footballer and can bring goals to a team and with this team playing so poorly as well, for him not to get a chance… I think he’s unfairly treated.
“I think he might suit him [Ten Hag] and he might want to keep him. We will see what happens. It’s obvious he never wants to leave Manchester United, and if this manager wants him then why wouldn’t he stay?”
