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Cavani joins PSG in record French transfer

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani joined French champions Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday for a fee of €64 million. The transfer fee is a new record for the French league.

Published: 16 July 2013 18:26 CEST
Cavani joins PSG in record French transfer
Edinson Cavani Photo: AFP

The much anticipated move was announced just a day after Cavani arrived in Paris to finalize the deal.

The 26-year-old Napoli forward, who was Serie A top scorer last season with 29 goals, landed in Paris on Monday morning before heading to a top city hotel.

Late morning, outgoing PSG sporting director Leonardo was seen leaving the luxury hotel with an advisor of the Uruguay player, who is nicknamed "The Matador".

Cavani had to pass a medical before putting pen to paper. He is believed to have signed a 5-year contract.

He will line up alongside his former Napoli team-mate Ezequiel Lavezzi, of Argentina.

The previous French Ligue 1 transfer record was set earlier this year, when Colombia forward Radamel Falcao signed for Monaco from Atletico Madrid for a figure estimated at nearly 60 million euros.

PSG meanwhile sought to silence rumours that have been flying in the Catalan sporting press since last week about a possible departure of the Brazil central defender Thiago Silva to Barcelona.

Silva's agent, Paulo Tonieto, was quoted as saying on PSG's official website: "Thiago is a PSG player. He has a contract and he will respect it.

"The rumours are the same as the ones last year but Thiago Silva is a PSG player and he'll see out his conttract with his club."

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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