Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain during the Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nimes ... [+]
It seems as if Inter Miami, Major League Soccer's 25th team, are close to making a marquee signing.
Reports from Italy have Paris Saint-Germain and Uruguay international Edinson Cavani agreeing to a three-year contract with the team that's set to debut in MLS in 2020.
Cavani signed a contract extension in April 2017 with PSG but he will be out of contract at the end of the current season and as such, no transfer fee would be involved. A player of his ability and age would probably fetch at least $40M in the current transfer market.
Cavani will turn 33 next February but throughout his career he has been extremely durable and he is still regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
Apart from scoring goals Cavani's greatest strength over the last decade has been his ability to maintain possession in forward positions and bring other players into the play. He is excellent in the air and he still has enough speed to get in behind defenses.
Cavani signed for PSG from Napoli in 2013 for $73M. It was during his time at Napoli that he was converted from a hard-working wide attacker who struggled to score in double figures, to one of the most effective and dangerous goal scorers in world soccer. Cavani's move to a more central role in attack increased his goal output by nearly double.
Since his move in the summer of 2013 Cavani has scored 195 goals in 282 appearances for PSG and he has scored in PSG's first two games of the Ligue 1 2020 season.
Some would argue that Cavani has never received full credit for his consistency given that he has played for many seasons in the shadows of other stars.
His most productive season was in 2016/17 when he scored 49 goals in 50 games for PSG. It is probably no coincidence that his record-high season was also the season he carried the full attacking load for PSG.
CARSON, CA - AUGUST 17: Zlatan Ibrahimovic #9 of Los Angeles Galaxy celebrates his goal during the ... [+]
Previously Zlatan Ibrahimović was the PSG star before he departed for Manchester United in the summer of 2016. The summer after Neymar arrived and the twelve months on it was Kylian Mbappe.
Cavani has also scored 48 goals in 114 international appearances for Uruguay since his debut in 2008.
He was part of a lethal attacking trio, along with Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan, at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when Uruguay finished 4th, and a year later when Uruguay won the Copa America.
David Beckham was granted an option for a MLS team when he signed for the LA Galaxy in 2007 and he subsequently opted for Miami. Miami has been without a MLS team since 2001 when Miami Fusion folded as part of league contraction.
Miami was awarded an MLS team in 2014 but the road has been long and tough and entry into MLS for 2020 was not confirmed until January 2018. Since the original announcement five years ago, Orlando City, New York City FC, Atlanta United, Minnesota United, Los Angeles FC, and FC Cincinnati have all started play in MLS.
Inter Miami have yet to announce a head coach, but an announcement is expected in the next couple of months. Paul McDonough was hired as sporting director effective August 4, 2018. McDonough was formerly Vice President of Soccer Operations for Atlanta United.
Inter Miami have announced the signing of three players so far - defender Christian Makoun, midfielder Matías Pellegrini, and striker Julián Simón Carranza.
Inter Miami will play home games in Fort Lauderdale at Lockhart Stadium for at least two seasons before moving to a new purpose-built permanent home in Miami.
Earlier this month Heineken was announced as the team's first founding sponsor partner. Heineken has been the official beer of MLS since 2014.
