First casualty of Rangnick era as star tells Man Utd he wants out in January
Manchester United are preparing for the January departure of Edinson Cavani – with the striker reportedly making clear which club he wants to sign for during the winter window.
The Red Devils have appointed Ralf Rangnick, 63, to oversee their bright new era after showing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the door.
Rangnick will coach United until the end of the season, before undertaking a two-year advisory role.
He is likely to have a huge say in the players brought to the club – and likewise those who depart.
To that end, Thursday’s Euro Paper Talk lists four players who Rangnick wants to sign and four who could make way.
Of those listed as potential departures, the nearest to the exit door was believed to be Cavani.
Now, according to The Times, the Uruguayan striker has informed United of his wish to leave in January. Having seen his game-time limited due to the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Cavani is said to have made his mind up.
His contract at Old Trafford is due to expire anyway, so his exit will come as little surprise.
The Times write: ‘Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani wants to join Barcelona next summer.
‘The Uruguay forward holds the ambition to play for Barcelona before the end of his career. He believes he can continue to play at the top level for another two seasons.’
As such, United will not stand in his way should Barca make a concrete proposal to sign him.
However, their well-documented financial state means they do not have huge sums of money to spend. Instead, their preference is to sign the 34-year-old on a free tranfer at the end of the season.
Barcelona, however, are seemingly in the market for a new striker. Summer signing Sergio Aguero will reportedly have to retire due to a heart condition, though there is yet to be any official confirmation on this.
The veteran striker scored 17 goals during his first season at United. However, with his action more limited, he has found the net only once in eight appearances so far this.
Cavani offers advice to Jadon Sancho
One of the factors behind Cavani’s struggles this season has been the summer arrival of Jadon Sancho.
And while the England winger has himself taken time to adjust, Cavani is offering him some sage advice.
Speaking to United’s official website, the veteran forward knows how his teammate can keep up his form.
“One of the things that scoring goals can give you, a lot of the time, is the sense of assurance and peace of mind to keep on working and training hard,” Cavani said.
“A lot of the time in football, you have to have an extra inner strength about you. This then helps you to keep going when on many occasions we don’t get on the scoresheet.
“And being able to always keep your spirits up and maintain that same dedication and hard work, while keeping your fitness levels high.”
Cavani is also backing Sancho to maintain his decent form in front of goal.
“We are all really happy for him scoring his first goal. I think it’s been quite a tough period for him, but football is like that,” Cavani added.
“When you get to a certain level of the game, I think that people are always full of expectation. There’s always a lot of chat and questions being asked about players.
“I think he just needs to keep demonstrating everything he has shown us up to now and keep working calmly and with a clear head.”
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