Barcelona’s hopes of signing Edinson Cavani seem set to fall on deaf ears. Manchester United are keen to keep the Uruguay striker for the second half of the season, The Mail report.
The news comes in response to growing speculation from Spain that Cavani could leave for Barcelona.
Marca had even claimed Cavani had an agreement with Barcelona to join, if United chose to sanction a sale.
No advantage for United
If Cavani was desperately unhappy in Manchester and actively pushing for a move, it might get difficult to keep him. But we don’t seem to be at this stage right now.
Cavani will be a free agent next summer and can sign for the club of his choice then.
Until then, he still has a contract at United to conclude, and he could have a big impact in the second half of the season.
Cavani scored 13 goals for United between January and May last season and that type of impact would come in very useful, the same as Ronaldo has scored in the first half of the campaign so far.
The pair have only started one match together, a match against Tottenham in which both players scored.
Injury then interrupted Cavani’s season, again. He is now back fit again and in contention to start against Newcastle next week.
There is no advantage for United in selling Cavani, any fee gained would be miniscule, and with Anthony Martial seeking to leave, he will be needed until the end of the season.
United will have to buy a younger successor for Cavani at some stage, but if any deals are done in January, it should be a midfielder walking through the door.
Fan favourite
Cavani has become a fan favourite during his brief time at United, and respect grew for him for the way he handled Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, giving up the number 7 shirt.
This season has been very stop-start for Cavani, due to a late start, internationals, and injuries, while a change of manager has also added complexity to it.
It is going to be refreshing to see Cavani back on the pitch in a United shirt again. It’s understandable Barcelona would want him, but there’s simply nothing to gain from a United point of view for letting him go.
It is good to hear United plan to stand firm and keep Cavani. Rumours from Spain may well persist, but they should amount to nothing.
Cavani has a lot to fight for in the second half of the season, and United can offer him one last crack at the Champions League. Unlike Barcelona, who have already been knocked out.
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