£16M Eye Catcher Would Be Best Suited With Move To Italy

Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo looks to have the pick of a number of European clubs, should they meet the Primeira Liga side’s valuation of the Paraguayan.

AC Milan, Chelsea, Everton, Juventus and Fenerbahce are all thought to be interested in the 29-year-old but will have to fork out over £10 million to get their man.

Cardozo has been told he is free to leave Benfica this summer, though for what price remains to be seen. Chelsea were rumoured to be willing to pay £20 million in March, while £16 million was said to be enough for Everton to secure his services.

Given the money being spoken about, rumours of a move to Merseyside appear to be nothing more than paper talk. With the club’s well documented lack of money a move for Cardozo seems out of the question.

Fenerbahce also look to be out of the running for the prolific forward. They have already had a bid of £9.5 million rejected and it is uncertain as to whether they can match Benfica’s demands. Equally, Cardozo is likely to favour a move to a prestigious league.

Chelsea and Milan are both interesting propositions for the former Newell’s Old Boys player. The Champions League winners only have three out and out strikers on their books and Cardozo would be a good replacement for Didier Drogba.

However, Roberto Di Matteo could give Romelu Lukaku more opportunities following Drogba’s departure. Despite having only three strikers, they will be supported by the attacking talents of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin. Perhaps not prolific, but the attacking midfielders are capable of getting goals in support of front man Fernando Torres.

Milan also have a host of forwards at their disposal, although none have the physical presence that Cardozo provides. Massimo Allegri is thought to favour a target man as he looks to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic. With 83 goals in 133 Primeira Liga games Cardozo offers much more than just a physically imposing forward and could be the perfect foil for the likes of Alexandre Pato and Antonio Cassano.

Juventus are the latest club to be linked with Cardozo. ‘The Big Cane’ scored for Benfica against the Italian champions in a friendly this week and it is thought that Juve took the opportunity to begin transfer talks.

Antonio Conte has Mirko Vucinic and Alessandro Matri in attack, with Fabio Quagliarella and Sebastian Giovinco more comfortable as a second striker. The Juve boss may wish to add a more prolific striker after Vucinic finished as the club’s top scorer with 10 last season.

Cardozo certainly has options but it remains to be seen whether anyone will meet Benfica’s high valuation for a 29-year-old with no sell on value. Money aside, it looks as if Italy would be the most suitable destination for him. It is a chance to prove himself in a more challenging league and both Juventus and Milan offer the lure of Champions League football.