Juventus are reportedly interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani, while Unai Emery's team are said to be closing in on a deal for free agent Lassana Diarra.
The Serie A champions have not begun negotiations with PSG for the Uruguayan but are hoping recent tension at the club involving Cavani may help facilitate a move, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t MailOnline's Sam McEvoy).
The 30-year-old was late returning to the club after the winter break and has also clashed with Neymar twice this season over penalty-taking duties.
Tension between the two players appeared to rise again during the club's 8-0 win over Dijon. Cavani was brought down late on in the match, winning a penalty, which if he had converted would have made him the club's all-time top scorer.
However, Neymar opted to take the kick instead and the Brazilian's actions spoke volumes, per ESPN FC's Jonathan Johnson:
Neymar & PSG would have been untouchable going into the Real Madrid given the way they have been playing so far in 2018 but Neymar's behaviour has (rightfully) reopened the debate over his relationship with Cavani & most of his teammates (not the penalty taker rubbish). #PSGDFCO
Cavani's record is not the point either. The relationship between Neymar & Cavani is. Both can say what they like when they speak with the press but what happens on the pitch speaks louder than that. What we saw vs. Dijon was Neymar putting himself before his teammate. #PSGDFCO
Supporters made their feelings known to Neymar by booing, despite the Brazilian having scored four goals in the 8-0 win:
PSG fans booed Neymar for not allowing Edinson Cavani to take a penalty that would make him the club’s all-time leading scorer: ble.ac/2DrU8eM
Per Johnson, the issue between the two players needs to be resolved:
Rubbish. Normally I would agree with this stance but after “Penaltygate” & the latest Neymar-Edinson Cavani episode, I think the issue needs clearing up for good. PSG & Emery’s poor handling of this created the penalty issue. Emery is now refusing to clear it up. Poor. twitter.com/jon_legossip/s…
There's no denying Neymar has been absolutely brilliant since moving from Barcelona to PSG this season, as is underlined by his 15 goals and 11 assists in 15 Ligue 1 outings. However, there is a suggestion he is not a team player and his decision to take the penalty against Dijon strengthens that suspicion.
Cavani is PSG's top scorer this season with 26 goals, and is popular among supporters, but it's easy to imagine him becoming open to a move away after frustration at having to defer to Neymar.
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