Late interest from Tottenham is hampering attempts from Atletico Madrid to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani.
Diario AS draw on a report from The Telegraph that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has identified Cavani as a transfer target due to a long-term injury for the club’s main striker Harry Kane.
It is claimed that the Parisian club will not stand in the way of his departure should they receive an acceptable fee for the striker, who is out of contract in June.
It appears certain that Cavani will join Atleti but the question is whether or not they can clear their wage bill in time to facilitate the move this month, rather than in summer.
A report from Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio claimed a personal agreement has already been reached between Atleti and the striker.
However, the respective club’s now must work out a deal – Atleti must sell before buying and may even be forced to wait until the summer, when the Uruguayan becomes a free agent.
A recent report in El Mundo Deportivo cited French claims that the player would command a €14m transfer fee and is currently on €18m in wages, making a January switch to Madrid ‘almost impossible’.
Atleti are said to be operating on virtually 100% of their La Liga salary cap and would not be able to clear the funds needed for the Uruguayan in winter.
Cavani's agent and half-brother Walter Guglielmone is said to have already held talks with the Spanish club although a move in January may prove tricky.
Cavani’s contract in the French capital expires next summer and he has scored 195 goals across his spell in the capital of France, where he is now in his seventh season.
The marksman has been with the Paris-based club since 2013 when he joined them from Napoli for a reported fee of €64m.
It has been claimed that he has rejected a move to MLS club Inter Miami in favour of remaining in European football.
Atleti have also been linked to other strikers including Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner of RB Leipzig.
