Reports of a return to Serie A for the Uruguayan are getting stronger, but the Italian ‘keeper expects him to stay in Paris at least until June
Gianluigi Buffon is confident Edinson Cavani will not leave Paris Saint-Germain in favour of a return to Napoli before the end of the season because of the Parisians’ better chances in the Champions League.
Cavani spent three seasons at Napoli before joining PSG in 2013, enjoying arguably the best years of his career at the Stadio San Paolo.
Although the Uruguayan failed to reach the 20-goal mark in his first three seasons in Paris, he has been lethal ever since, netting 35 and 28 in the past two campaigns to become the club’s record goalscorer.
He has nine in as many games this season but despite that form, there have often been suggestions of PSG being open to replacing him, particularly since Neymar’s arrival and the clashing of the two stars’ egos.
Napoli are said to be interested and Cavani is thought to be keen on a return to Naples at some point, though Buffon doubts that will happen before the end of the season.
“I often talk about Italy with him,” Buffon said on Italia 1’s Tiki-Taka show.
“He is very close to Napoli for the love of the Neapolitan people. He is not immune [to the interest Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis], but I think that, at the moment, PSG gives him more of a chance to go to the end in the Champions League.
“Not that Napoli doesn’t have a chance, but I think Cavani will prefer to try it with us until June.”
Next up for PSG is an away game at Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Wednesday and Cavani is in line to start after being an unused substitute during the club’s 2-2 draw against Bordeaux last weekend.
Following that fixture, their weekend game at home to Montpellier has already been postponed at the request of police.
Violent protests have been taking place in major cities across France in recent weeks, with citizens taking to the streets to vent their anger at a rise in fuel tax.
Fortunately, the French champions’ final Champions League group stage fixture next week is away in Serbia against Red Star Belgrade, as the team searches for a crucial three points to progress to the knockout phase.