De Laurentiis labels Cavani price ´absurd´

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis says the price Paris Saint-Germain are willing to pay for striker Edinson Cavani is ‘absurd’.

The Uruguay international has scored over 20 goals in each of the past three Serie A seasons and carried Napoli to second place in the 2012/13 campaign, earning the Neapolitans a spot in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the coming season.

PSG are expected to announce the signing of Cavani on Tuesday, with the reigning Ligue 1 champions reported to be willing to meet Cavani’s €63 million buy-out clause.

De Laurentiis is astounded with the amount of money PSG are prepared to pay for the 26-year-old.

“Without Cavani’s clause, I would not have considered selling him,” De Laurentiis said on Monday.

“It is a matter of principle. You cannot buy everything because it’s not good on an ethical level.

“The problem with these clubs is that they are owned by businesses that are run by presidents who will pay absurd figures.

“As for Cavani, each year I had to increase his price. It got so high, to a point where it was more than what Bayern Munich made for winning the Champions League.

“Then he began telling me he wanted to leave, so I told him to put forth the release clause. I’m sure Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea would never have spent €63 million.”