Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 10y

PSG: Edinson Cavani going nowhere

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has insisted Edinson Cavani will stay at the club this summer, while the player himself has blamed the media for stirring up speculation about his future.

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In an interview with L'Equipe earlier this week, Cavani, 27, sparked rumours he could leave the Ligue 1 champions just a year into the five-year contract he signed last summer, saying he was unhappy with his position out wide on the pitch and that he would discuss his situation with the club after the World Cup.

PSG's Champions League quarterfinal opponents Chelsea -- who they saw off 3-1 in the first leg -- are among a host of clubs who were linked with the Uruguay international prior to his decision to move to the French capital, and would again be interested should he become available.

Al-Khelaifi acknowledges that talks could take place between Cavani and his employers in the summer, but told RMC that a transfer would not be on the agenda.

"Cavani is very important for us. He is very professional, very committed on the pitch, he gives everything. I like him a lot,” he said.

“If he wants to change position, that's not his decision, it's that of the coach and he understands that. He's here to play where the coach decides to put him.

“He can talk with the staff and the club, but the decision will be that he stays with us. He's a star for the club. Of course he's staying."

In the L'Equipe interview, Cavani spoke of his dissatisfaction at being played out wide in Laurent Blanc's 4-3-3 formation, rather than through the centre in the 4-4-2 system he had expected to play in when he joined PSG.

The former Napoli striker, who was signed for a reported Ligue 1 record 64 million euros, told Tuttosport that the headlines provoked by his words were exaggerated.

"The controversy has been created by you, the journalists. The things I said to the paper are different,” he said. “But whether it's L'Equipe or another paper, sometimes things go controversial, that's the way it is.

“But things are clear, the club knows everything and we'll certainly speak about it at the end of the season. Right now I'm not thinking about all that. I'm only thinking about playing, finishing the season well, doing my best and we'll see about next season."

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