Rooney and Lewandowski head Chelsea's striker wish-list after Cavani price rocketsChelsea will step up their pursuit of Wayne Rooney and Robert Lewandowski after Paris Saint-Germain tabled a £43million bid for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani yesterday.
Roman Abramovich does not want to be dragged into a bidding war for top target Cavani even though the French champions, bankrolled by Qatari billions, are still £11m short of triggering the Uruguayan’s release clause.
Abramovich smashed the British transfer record when he paid Liverpool £50m for Fernando Torres in January 2011 and, although he is determined to support Jose Mourinho in the transfer market he is wary of another massive investment in a 26-year-old.
Torres was also 26 when he arrived and his market value has dropped rapidly since his form suffered after the move.
Wages are not an issue: Chelsea can offer Cavani the £250,000 a week he demands but the likes of Rooney and Lewandowski would be available for smaller fees even if they each come with their own complications.
In Rooney’s case, Manchester United will not want to strengthen a rival in the title race, while Lewandowski clearly wants to quit Borussia Dortmund to join Bayern Munich.
Manchester City, whose striker Edin Dzeko could be a Chelsea target, have long been interested in Cavani but now know they will have to outbid PSG to land him.
Real Madrid is thought to be Cavani’s preferred destination if he is to leave Napoli, with the Spanish club also chasing his Uruguayan team-mate Luis Suarez.
Rooney is due to speak to new United manager David Moyes about his future before the squad leave on a pre-season tour of Asia and Australia in a week's time.
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