Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel opened the door to Edinson Cavani leaving the Ligue 1 leaders in January, amid rumours linking him to Manchester United.
United were reportedly offered the chance to sign the Uruguay international in the January transfer window, with Cavani starting just four matches in France’s top flight this season.
Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are among the clubs also linked with an approach for the 32-year-old and a move looks as if it come to fruition if Tuchel’s latest comments are anything to go by.
Asked about the striker’s future after PSG’s 1-0 win over Lorient, Tuchel replied: ‘I am not sure that Edinson Cavani will be here in February.’
However, it appears that Atletico Madrid are in pole position to land Cavani – who has expressed his desire to leave the French capital – despite having a bid rejected.
PSG sporting director Leonardo said: ‘Edinson Cavani? He asked to leave, we are studying the situation. We had a proposal from Atletico Madrid, we did not accept it. I don’t know how it will end.’
A short-term loan could make sense for United, with Solskjaer desperate to find a replacement for Marcus Rashford, who is set to miss the next two or three months with a stress fracture in his back.
‘Well we’ve had many, many injuries on big players for us this season,’ Solskjaer said after the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. ‘We’ve had now Marcus, Anthony’s been out for months, Paul’s been out for more than half the season, Scott’s been out for months.
‘So it’s just an unfortunate situation that we’re in. It might be because the window is open that we look at some short-term deals as well and that could take us through until the summer.’
Probed on whether United desperately need a striker now, he added: ‘Desperately? Not desperately. Of course we’re looking at numbers as well, because we’ve had many injuries.
‘So if the right one is there and it will fit for us, we can buy. If there’s loans available it might be possible. But I’ve got players here as well that are chomping at the bit.’
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