A few days after Napoli insisted they would survive if striker Edinson Cavani is sold, the prospect of his transfer to Real Madrid has ratcheted up a notch.
It is thought that Los Blancos are in the market for a new hit-man, due to the relatively paltry goal returns of Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema this season.
It must keep the club's administrators up at night to think where they would have been without Cristiano Ronaldo for the past few seasons, as they dream of a prolific new striker to support the unstoppable Portuguese goal machine.
Atletico Madrid spearhead Radamel Falcao is high on Real's wish list, but cross-city rivalry is likely to stop him switching the Calderon for the Bernabeu.
And so Cavani is the next big-name striker said to be on Real Madrid's agenda.
Napoli would prefer to keep the lank-haired Uruguayan international, but according to the player's father, there is now a "50% possibility" that the 26-year-old will join the Spanish champions.
Speaking to Marca TV, Luis Cavani claimed that talks between Real and Napoli have already been conducted, and that his son's transfer is simply a question of the fee.
"Napoli has rejected offers from many teams," Cavani senior said.
"But I think that they'd sell him for an offer of €60m.
"There is a 50% possibility he will sign for Real Madrid, but the negotiation with Napoli is difficult."
Do you think Cavani is the man to help Ronaldo next season?
