Leeds Pursuit Of Cavani Falls Short, Opt To Join Club Where Uruguayans Go

Leeds United had plans to bring in Edinson Cavani but it appears the Peacocks’ pursuit will fall short. The Uruguayan, who saw his deal with Paris Saint-Germain fall short, is nearing a deal with S.L. Benfica, serving a big blow to the plans of Leeds.

Sky Sports reported that Cavani is nearing a deal to sign with the Portuguese giants, a place where other Uruguayans have played for in the past. Talks between the 33-year-old and The Eagles were confirmed last weekend. The fact that there were past players from Uruguay suiting up for Leeds is one of the reasons that lured Cavani to the club.

“There were meetings with Benfica and other clubs. But nothing is yet defined, so I cannot say that there is a closed agreement. When everything is confirmed with a team, they will know it,” Cavani said.

With this development, the planned pursuit of Leeds may be coming to an abrupt end. After The Whites' promotion to the Premier League, ambitious plans were drawn up to bring him to Elland Road.

“In addition to his quality, Cavani could contribute with his physicality and adapt here, but I've never talked about him with the coach,” owner Andrea Radrizzani said to Sky Sport Italia (via Goal).

During his time with PSG, Cavani amassed 200 goals in 301 games, cementing his status as the club’s record goalscorer. With Napoli, the Uruguayan player netted 104 goals in 138 matches.

But with Les Parisiens now shifting their focus to Mauro Icardi, Cavani knows that it may be time for him to go. Things just changed when Icardi returned on loan from Inter Milan with his status eventually becoming permanent. Other teams who were interested in the 33-year-old striker included Chelsea FC and Inter Milan.

The interest in Cavani remains despite his age. However, there are some concerns about his ability to stay healthy. Last season alone, he appeared in only 14 games due to injThere were games where he played as a substitute but the Uruguayan still managed to make the most out of it. He accounted for only four goals and two assists in limited minutes on the field. Now he tries to show everyone that he can still be of use if given the right amount of playing time with Benfica.