Benfica signs a contract with PSG forward Edinson Cavani

Benfica have signed a € 9 million-a-year deal to sign Edinson Cavani from PSG, according to reports.

Cavani is available on a free transfer this summer after his contract with PSG expires.

Benfica have now agreed to sign the scorer, according to the sports journalist Tancredi Palmeri.

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Numerous teams have already shown interest in signing Cavani from PSG as the player is highly respected across Europe.

He has been linked to English teams Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea. Newly promoted Leeds United was also believed to be interested, as the player would help them massively in their return to the top flight.

The striker is believed to have been looking to make around € 12m a year with Benfica, which equates to £ 230,000 a week.

However, the Portuguese managed to reduce this amount to 9 million euros. This equates to around £ 173,000 per week.

The deal makes Cavani Benfica the new highest winner, far ahead of second-placed Andreas Samaris who reportedly earns £ 45,000 a week.

He scored 138 goals in 200 games in Paris and helped the team win 6 Ligue 1 titles.

Cavani will hook up with new Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, who returned to the club on a two-year contract last week.

This will be Jesus’ second spell at Benfica. The manager was there from 2009 to 2015 before moving on to rivals Sporting.

Cavani and Jesus will aim to win the Portuguese league next season, after finishing second at Porto this season.

The board signed the Uuruguayan striker with the intention of doing better in Europe too.

Benfica failed to make it through the group stage in this year’s Champions League. They finished third in Group G behind RB Leipzig and Lyon, both in the quarter-finals.

The club has failed to win any European titles since consecutive victories in 1961 and 1962.

They recently reached the Europa League final in 2014, where they lost on penalties to Spanish side Sevilla.