De Laurentiis warns Cavani over leaving Napoli 'cradle'

 

Edinson Cavani is a transfer target for some of Europe's biggest clubs this summer, but Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is not convinced the striker should leave the club.

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City all want the Uruguay international, though none of the interested parties are yet to activate his £53.7 million release clause.

And De Laurentiis has warned the 26-year-old against leaving Napoli for a club where he may not take centre stage.

"Napoli is a true cradle for Cavani, allowing his inner child to express himself and fulfill his potential," De Laurentiis said at a press conference.

"He knows that he is the star of the show here at Napoli and you never know whether this will also be the case at Real Madrid or anywhere else.

"We have already seen how [Diego] Forlan and [Luis] Suarez have outshone him for Uruguay and how this has affected his goalscoring record.

"I have little doubt that he will take all of this into consideration before making a decision. He will make a decision on his future and we will follow his direction." 

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Tahiti-tamer Torres targets Golden Boot

 

The much maligned Chelsea striker has not found it so easy to hit the back of the net in recent years, having struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool for £50 million.

So it was understandable when he filled his boots against Tahiti at the Confederations Cup on Thursday, bagging four of Spain's 10 goals in the biggest victory ever in a senior Fifa competition.

Despite missing a penalty, the striker is now in the driving seat to win yet another Golden Boot thanks to his target practice against the Oceania minnows. 

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It's raining goals for Buffon and Kawashima

 

Italy's epic 4-3 victory over Japan will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest ever Confederations Cup matches.

Supporters were treated to a feast of football as goals from Daniele De Rossi, Mario Balotelli and Sebastian Giovinco, as well as an own goal from Atsuto Uchida, sealed Italy's place in the semi-finals of the competition.

Do spare a thought for the two goalkeepers involved, though, with Gianluigi Buffon and Eiji Kawashima facing a downpour of goals over the 90 minutes in the Itaipava Arena Pernambuco. 
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Spanish production line creates latest batch of winners

 

Spain continued their domination of world football on Tuesday when their Under-21 side defeated Italy in the final of the European Championship in Israel.

Thiago Alcantara netted a first-half hat-trick, with Malaga playmaker Isco also on the scoresheet to cap a sensational tournament on a personal level, in the 4-2 victory.

With the likes of Xavi, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas and Fernando Torres approaching the end of their time with the full national side, Spain fans need not fear as their production line continues to churn out the next generation of superstars. 
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Running scared: Tahiti & Nigeria get ready for Spain test

 

Nigeria thumped Tahiti 6-1 in Monday's Confederations Cup clash but a far tougher test awaits both nations before Group B reaches its conclusion.

Far from being bullish about their chances, both sides could be forgiven for packing up and heading home early ahead of their respective fixtures against the might of Spain - world and European champions no less.

Vicente del Bosque's powerhouse kicked off their campaign in Brazil with a 2-1 win over Uruguay and will expect to take maximum points from their final two group games. 

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