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29 March 2024

Arsenal to make shock £30m bid for Cavani

Edinson Cavani of Napoli scored all four goals during the UEFA Europa League Group F 4-2 win against FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at Stadio San Paolo on November 8, 2012 in Naples, Italy. (GETTY)

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By Staff

Arsene Wenger is finally ready to make a big-name signing to replace Robin van Persie and resurrect Arsenal's season.

The Gunners boss is planning a shock £30 million bid for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani who is also being chased by Premier League champions Manchester City.

Wenger read the riot act after watching his side squander a 2-0 advantage and fall 11 points off the pace in the Premier League title race following a 3-3 draw at home against Fulham on Saturday.

He was critical of his defence but the lack of teeth in attack which was exposed during their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United the previous, has stirred Wenger into action.

Although his new signings Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski got on the scoresheet, the Arsenal manager is under pressure from fans and shareholders to start splashing the cash in a bid to end their eight years of pain without a trophy.

Finally he has decided on 25-year-old Uruguay forward Cavani is his top priority after getting a glowing report on the player from chief scout Steve Rowley, according to the Daily Mail (https://bit.ly/RsExuU).

Cavani got the nod from the Gunners' talent spotter who saw the 'Matador' scoring all four goals as his side came from behind to beat Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 4-2 in the Europa League in Italy on Thursday.

Not that Cavani needs any assessment having found the net against Chelsea and Manchester City in last season's Champions League.

City had been keen to land Cavani, whose four goals in midweek took him to 12 in 12 games for the season.

Cavani himself has shrugged of media speculation of a big-money transfer to a top European side by vowing to replace Diego Maradona as the club's all-time top scorer.

He backed up his decision to sign a new five-year contract last May by insisting he wants to improve on his record of 79 goals in 108 matches with Maradona top with 115.

"Napoli doesn't depend entirely on me, everyone does there bit," Cavani told reporters after scoring his sixth Napoli hat-trick.

"But slowly but surely I will overtake all my predecessors."

Maurizio Zamparini, president of Cavani's former club Palermo, on Friday said the striker was "world number one".

It will take a major deal and Arsenal's standing in the Premier League to lure the Uruguayan to the Emirates Stadium.