Arsenal Transfer News: Are Gunners Interested in Edinson Cavani?

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Arsenal have been linked with their biggest name over the winter transfer window so far—star Napoli striker Edinson Cavani.

The North London club are believed to be in the market for a striker given the subpar performances of Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud so far this year.

However, few would have expected that the normally frugal Gunners would be interested in Cavani, who is rated as one of the top strikers in world football.

Per Richard Browne of The Independent:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger today confirmed an interest in Napolistriker Edinson Cavani, the Uruguayan striker who has scored 16 Serie A goals this season.

Wenger was asked about reports which linked his club to Cavani, and replied: "Cavani is a player that I like. Will he cost a lot of money? That's for sure. Nobody would deny that."

He added: "Our banker lives just next to me at the moment and he is ready if we find the right player."

The news about a potential move for Cavani comes at an interesting time for Arsenal, with the manager indicating earlier in the week that the club could spend big money in the transfer window if they find right player available for purchase.

The Uruguay international has netted 24 goals in just 21 matches for Napoli this year, and is the top-rated striker in Serie A so far (per WhoScored). There is little doubting his talent and proven ability, and there can definitely be no disputing how effective and big a signing he would be for Arsenal.

However, this deal simply isn't going to happen this winter—starting with the ridiculous amount of money that Arsenal would need to splash out.

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Wenger himself indicated that any deal would likely take place in the final week of the transfer window, for that's when prices on deals drop somewhat; but even then, the figure that the Gunners would need to spend on Cavani is simply too much.

Transfermarkt currently lists the player as costing £40 million, which is still astronomically high for the Gunners to be spending on one player.

But then once you throw in the circumstance, as Wenger points out via The Guardian, then the figure simply becomes unreachable for Arsenal:

We can spend the money that we have decided to spend if it is for a player we think gives us a plus. But I do not want to speak about Cavani because we have not made an inquiry for him.

Napoli are playing for the championship and the Champions League [places] in Italy. What is the interest of Napoli to sell Cavani? None. Unless you come there and say, "OK, we pay twice the price of what the player is worth."

Thus with Arsenal needing to pay above and beyond £40 million just to interest Napoli, there's no way that this deal is happening any time soon.

They would not only have to pay that, but also fork out very high player wages for the striker. Which, seeing how little money they're willing to spend on arguably the best striker they have at the moment in Theo Walcott, doesn't seem very likely at all.

It's a pipe dream and nothing more for Arsenal fans this winter, for under no circumstances will Edinson Cavani be joining the Gunners.