If they sign Cavani, which PSG star will be making way?

PSG have made a £43 million bid for Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani and with Laurent Blanc looking for a big signing to start his PSG era, it looks like this could odds on. Cavani and Ibrahimovic as a forward pair would be devastating, the technical ability of Ibrahimovic complements the finishing abilities of Cavani.

Blanc may have to play a 4-4-2 system with high wingers. In order to accommodate the big two strikers Blanc may have to let some players go as they will not want to keep the bench warm. Looking at who could make way, it might have to be either Lavezzi, Pastore or Menez. With Lucas Moura seemingly guaranteed his place in the first team, it could be a case of trying to squeeze three players in to one space, and someone will have to miss out.

Considering they are negotiating with Napoli the most likely to leave could be Ezequiel Lavezzi. Lavezzi made his reputation in a strong spell with Napoli and is still well regarded by the fans. Under new manger Rafa Benitez Lavezzi will get back into his grove quickly in familar surroundings, and Benitez has shown he can get the most from players with his types of talents.

A move to Italy would suit Lavezzi and with Cavani moving the other way it would be a ray of hope for the Napoli faithful. PSG could be in a position to offer Lavezzi in part exchange in the Cavani negotiations. The question for Benitez to answer is whether he would be happy having Lavezzi in a central striking role. With new boy Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne already in the wide forward positions and Marek Hamsik in the number 10 role, Lavezzi could offer pace through the middle. PSG would be willing to let Lavezzi leave as he has failed to produce consistently since his move.

Pastore is a trickier one. He was the first real impact signing PSG made but a tactical reshuffle to accommodate Cavani would not suit him. He is a pure number 10 and so maybe he would suit Borussia Dortmund or Arsenal as both teams are in the market for his type. With Gotze going to Bayern Munich, Dortmund will need to replace him with a similarly skillful option. Pastore would slot straight into the team and would keep to the style of Dortmund.

At Arsenal he could come in behind the expected signing of Gonzalo Higuain flanked by Walcott and Santi Cazorla to flood the team with creativity. The problem for both is the price, which is going to be unaffordable. Pastore cost over £30m and PSG won’t sell for a loss, so he likely stays in France.

If Menez is available then his destination will likely be AS Monaco. Ranieri would have a player like Menez in a heartbeat and the fee wouldn’t be a problem for AS Monaco. PSG will not want to sell to a rival club but if they want Cavani then they have to make space somewhere. Menez has done well, but not exceptionally well in Paris.

He was part of the initial recruitment phase when the club couldn’t quite attract the very top players. They won’t give him away, and they could possibly drive the price up if negotiating with Monaco would have made it clear they do want some domestic players to form the long term core. What he does bring though, is natural width so PSG may be loathed to lose him.