Edinson Cavani Rejects €1m Bonus by PSG to Relinquish Penalty Duties to Neymar

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has been offered an improved contract by Paris Saint-Germain, that includes a €1m bonus, in an attempt to convince the 30-year-old striker to pass on the responsibilities of taking penalties to €222m poster boy Neymar, according to El Pais.

The owner of PSG, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is keen to get the most out of his big money investment in Neymar and as a result, he instructed an intermediary to offer Cavani a new deal.

Al-Khelaifa offered Cavani a €1m bonus if he finishes as the club's top goal-scorer this season, a bonus that was not in Cavani's original contract. However, the new deal also came with an understanding that penalty duties would be passed onto the former Barcelona winger.

This new contract was offered after Neymar and Cavani had an on-pitch dispute over who should take a penalty in their 2-0 victory over Lyon. Cavani won the argument on that occasion, but missed his spot kick.

The two were involved in a similar dispute some weeks earlier, when PSG hosted Saint-Étienne at the end of August. 

In that instance, Cavani again refused to give up the responsibility of taking penalties for the Parisians and although manager Unai Emery dismissed the issue, there appears to be a slight rift between Neymar and his new teammates.