Betting Special: Expect Cavani to shun Chelsea and Manchester City for a move to Real Madrid

Napoli’s Uruguayan striker is a target for the Premier League’s two richest clubs, but Al Hain-Cole expects him to turn them down in favour of a move to the Spanish capital

After three seasons and over 100 goals, Edinson Cavani seems set to leave Napoli this summer, prompting a transfer scramble among Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Uruguay international is currently playing alongside Luis Suarez at the Confederations Cup, and apparently shares his strike partner’s dream of playing for Real Madrid, who are 11/10 (2.10) favourites with Bet Victor to seal his signature.

With Gonzalo Higuain seemingly on his way out of the Bernabeu, it must be only a matter of time before los Blancos offer the requisite €60 million to bring the Napoli striker to Spain, particularly after rivals Barcelona splashed out on Neymar, and it is worth getting in on those odds now before they drop any lower.

Madrid’s main competitors are to be found in the Premier League, where their former manager Jose Mourinho is available at 7/4 (2.75) to lure the 26-year-old to Chelsea, after already seeing a player-plus-cash bid involving Fernando Torres turned down.

Manchester City’s comparable offer of Edin Dzeko plus €29 million was met with a similar lack of enthusiasm by Aurelio De Laurentiis, and Manuel Pellegrini may have a difficult task on his hands if he is to convince both chairman and player to shun other offers for a move to the Etihad Stadium, at odds of 5/2 (3.50).

Considering the Partenopei’s hefty asking price, it is no surprise to see moneybags Paris Saint Germain in the running, but odds of 40/1 (41.00) suggest that Monaco’s Radamel Falcao will remain French football’s highest profile attacking acquisition this summer.

That same 40/1 (41.00) price is also available on Cavani moving to either Barcelona or Bayern Munich, but having signed Neymar and Mario Gotze in big money moves respectively, neither club have shown much interest in the Uruguayan.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Manchester United are both on offer at 50/1 (51.00) to gazump their Premier League rivals by completing a shock move for the Napoli man.


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Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.

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Real Madrid offer world-record €155m deal to keep Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese superstar is in advanced negotiations over a five-year contract that will be the most lucrative in the history of football

EXCLUSIVE
By Ben Hayward & Alberto Pinero

Cristiano Ronaldo is close to agreeing a new contract with Real Madrid which will make him the world’s highest-earning footballer, Goal can reveal.

Madrid are in advanced talks with Ronaldo’s representatives over a deal totalling around €155 million over five years, with the Portuguese forward set to earn €15m annually after tax in what will be the most lucrative contract in the history of the game.

Ronaldo, who has scored 201 goals in just 199 games in his four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, raised alarm bells on Thursday when he posted a cryptic message on Twitter which read simply: “All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false.” Days earlier, however, he revealed his intention to remain at the Spanish side beyond his current contract, which expires in 2015.

After Portugal’s 1-0 win over Russia in a World Cup qualifier last week, Ronaldo said: “I haven’t spoken to anyone yet, [but] I know we will reach an agreement on a new contract. The most important thing now is the national team.” And he also claimed his future has nothing to do with the departure of coach Jose Mourinho. “I am not worried by what Mourinho does; I am concerned with Real Madrid and my future,” he said in May. The pair’s relationship, once excellent, deteriorated in recent months following an angry dispute over a tactical correction made by Mourinho in a game against Valencia in January.

UNITED’S INTEREST VERY REAL
Though it never reached the stage of tabling an official offer, Manchester United’s dream of persuading Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford was and remains a genuine one.

A public and private charm offensive kicked off in earnest around the time the Premier League champions drew the Spanish giants in the Champions League last December and reached a crescendo when the prolific Portuguese arrived back on his former stomping round in March and duly scored the decisive goal in the tie.

The reception he was afforded that night struck a chord with the player who had felt unloved and unappreciated in the Spanish capital. That he spent time after the match catching up with his former team-mates and speaking so positively of his former employers, to the extent that he appeared to be leaving the door open for a return, gave United’s hierarchy belief they were capable of pulling off an astonishing coup.

In truth, however, the stratospheric sums involved were always likely to prove the most significant barrier, alongside Madrid’s reluctance to sell, to a deal being stuck.

James Goldman, Goal UK

Ronaldo’s posture has changed after his well-documented ‘sadness’ at the beginning of last season, when he was frustrated at what he perceived to be a lack of public support from the club in the race for the Ballon d’Or, a fall-out with team-mate Marcelo and the club’s apparent unwillingness to discuss a new deal.

Madrid signed Ronaldo from Manchester United in a world-record €94 million deal back in the summer of 2009, following Florentino Perez’s return to the presidency at the capital club. He currently earns around €10m annually after tax.

When Ronaldo arrived, however, the so-called ‘Beckham Law’, which allowed foreigners who had lived in Spain for less than 10 years and who earned above €120,000 per annum to pay a lower tax rate of around 23 per cent and not the usual 45%, was still in force. David Beckham was one of the first to take advantage of the law after his move from Manchester United in 2003.

However, the Spanish government has since scrapped that initiative and a new deal would see Ronaldo required to pay 52% of his salary to the taxman. Hence, Madrid will be faced with an annual outlay close to €31m in order to pay the Portuguese the net €15m he has asked for.

Madrid, however, are aware of the importance of keeping Cristiano. The capital club missed out on Neymar recently, while they look to be frustrated in their pursuit of Dortmund duo Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski. Other previous transfer targets, such as Sergio Aguero and Radamel Falcao, will not be arriving either, while Gareth Bale is expensive and unwilling to force a move and Edinson Cavani is considered overpriced by the Madrid board. Ronaldo’s renewal, therefore, assumes even greater importance.

President Perez has already revealed Real’s intention to make the Portuguese the cornerstone of the club’s next sporting project. “I want to build Real Madrid around Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said late last month. “And I want Cristiano to be the best-paid player in the world.”

Madrid are ready to meet Ronaldo’s wage demands and make the Portuguese a higher earner than Lionel Messi, who takes home around €13m before bonuses at Barcelona, and Falcao, who will bring in €14m annually at Monaco. Samuel Eto’o earns €20m per year at Anzhi Makhachkala, although the Cameroonian is on just a three-year deal and his total package will be surpassed by Ronaldo Real contract.

The one sticking point currently is the player’s image rights. Cristiano currently has a 60 per cent share (of which he pays a third to Jorge Mendes’ company Gestifute), while the club keep 40%. The Portuguese is keen to improve that ratio and his recent tweet, as well as news stories leaked to press over a stalemate in negotiations, are thought to be two tactics used in conjunction with Mendes in order to apply pressure on the club. However, both parties are confident an agreement will be reached in the coming weeks.

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Who is your top goalkeeper of the season?

Ahead of this year’s Goal 50, we want to know who you think has been the best shot stopper during the 2012-13 campaign

POLL

The latest Goal 50 for 2012-13 is fast approaching as we review the best players from all regions of the world over the previous season.

This is the sixth edition of the award, which has previously been won by current holder Cristiano Ronaldo (twice), Barcelona star Lionel Messi (twice) and Wesley Sneijder in 2010.

As part of the build-up to this year’s prize, we are running a series of polls asking readers to vote for their own best players in each position for what should be an intriguing debate.

We kick off with the goalkeepers and there are a number of high-profile candidates who can lay claim to having been the best player between the sticks over the last 12 months.

Manuel Neuer secured treble glory with Bayern Munich as their resolute defensive record served as the base from which they claimed the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League.

Thibaut Courtois was inspired for Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea, as they beat city rivals Real Madrid to win the Copa Del Rey, while Atleti also enjoyed the best defensive record in La Liga.

At the Bernabeu, Diego Lopez was at the centre of a huge controversy after Jose Mourinho continued to select him in favour of the dropped Iker Casillas. Even Casillas’ biggest fans, though, did not begrudge the widespread view that Lopez showed excellent form throughout his time in the side.

Gianluigi Buffon and Samir Handanovic were amongst the standout performers in Serie A, while David de Gea was voted in the PFA’s Team of the Season after his performances for champions Manchester United in the Premier League.

HAVE YOUR SAY

In total we have 15 goalkeepers up for your vote to decide on the best goalkeeper for the 2012-13 season.
Let us know your thoughts by voting in our poll and leaving your comments below. You can also get in touch via our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Cavani admits Real Madrid dream

The Uruguay international has spoken of his desire to wear the jersey of los Blancos before repeating that he will make a decision on his future after the Confederations Cup

Napoli star Edinson Cavani has once more admitted that a transfer to Real Madrid would be a dream come true, as he continues to flirt with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Uruguay international’s mother recently revealed that Cavani is in talks with Manchester City as well as Madrid, while Chelsea recently had a formal offer turned down by Napoli.

The 26-year-old’s preferred destination seems to be La Liga, though, with a move to Madrid a childhood dream for the prolific attacker.

“I am very calm about my future. Madrid are a great club and every player dreams of playing there,” Cavani told Cadena COPE.

“I am a Napoli player for now, though, and I am focused on the Confederations Cup. It is not only up to me what the clubs decide. There are other factors that must be taken into account.

“There’s a lot of talk about Madrid’s interest, so we will see what happens. Nobody has said anything officially.”

Cavani has a contract with Napoli until June 2017, but has a release clause of €63 million.

Heynckes urges Bayern to sign Isco

The recently retired coach has urged his former club to try and buy the Spain Under-21 international ahead of the 2013-14 campaign

Former Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes has advised the Champions League winners to make a move for Malaga star Isco in the summer transfer window.

The attacking midfielder is continually being linked with a move to a bigger club following his fine performances in 2012-13 and revealed earlier this week that Manchester City and Real Madrid are keen to lure him away from his current club ahead of next season.

However, if it was up to Heynckes, the Spain Under-21 international would continue his career at the Bundesliga giants instead.

“Who should Bayern sign? There are some very interesting players out there, like Malaga star Isco. He’s a class act in midfield,” Heynckes told Kicker.

The 21-year-old has a contract with Malaga until 2016, but has a €35 million buy-out clause.

Bayern have already secured the services of Mario Gotze from Borussia Dortmund and Jan Kirchhoff from Mainz for next season.

Heynckes announced his retirement earlier this week after guiding Bayern to a historic treble this term. The Bavarians had previously already appointed Pep Guardiola as his successor.