Manchester United are on the brink of signing Edinson Cavani.Reports erupted across the world on Saturday night, emanating from ESPN, claiming that the Paris Saint-Germain legend was close to moving to the Premier League as a free agent.It's remarkable to think that one of the most prolific strikers of the last 10 years hasn't been snapped up sooner by a top European club after leaving PSG earlier in the summer.
Cavani close to Man Utd move
Nevertheless, United appear to be just a few hours away from unveiling Cavani as their second signing of the transfer window, joining Donny van de Beek through the Old Trafford entrance.
But to say the move has been met with mixed reactions would be the mother of all understatements and in fairness, the deal has 'panic buy' written all over it.
Besides, if Cavani had genuinely been in United's long-term transfer plans, why wouldn't they have made a move for him earlier in the summer considering he was a free agent?
Fanbase split on Cavani deal
Wouldn't the Red Devils have been perturbed by the fact Benfica and Atletico Madrid reportedly came so close to signing him? I think we all know the answers to these questions.
At the end of the day, there seem to be two schools of thought and the more optimistic one is focusing on Cavani's stunning goal-scoring record, finding the net 200 times for PSG.
But the more pessimistic bunch are honing in on Cavani's dire recent injury record, his advancing age, reportedly high wages and its potential impact on Anthony Martial's progress.
Epic rant from Mark Goldbridge
And one supporter who can be pretty easily categorised is Mark Goldbridge, who has garnered an impressive following on the United Stand and always produces hysterical reactions to big news.
In this instance, however, Goldbridge certainly isn't fooling around and a clip has gone viral on Twitter of him expressing his frustrations with the United board for securing the Cavani deal.
"Oh my life," Goldbridge bemoaned. "It gets worse. 'Man Utd see Cavani as a great opportunity'. He's been a great opportunity for eight f***ing months. He's been a free agent for eight months.
"You are full of s***. Who is running this football club? Seriously! This is not about Cavani, I hope he works really well, but who is putting this spinny bulls*** out there?
"'Man Utd see Cavani as a great opportunity' in inverted commas from Fabrizio Romano. That's from the club! 'Man Utd see Cavani as a great opportunity'. Oh my life.
"And they're going to pay €10 million in agent fees. We don't bloody learn, people. This is a bloody joke. We are being torn apart. This football club is being torn apart by d***heads.
"Unbelievable. It's the money we waste on these sort of things. Who do they think you are? They must think you're a bloody idiot.
"Man Utd see Cavani as a great opportunity 48 hours before a end a transfer window when they've messed it up. He's been available for eight months. Nobody else bloody wants him. It's a great opportunity!?
"It's like going to a bloody buffet or a christening or whatever or a party and you're late to the table and you go through the plates and there's nothing there apart from a mouldy, broken Pringle that nobody wants.
"United put it on their plate and go: 'Look at this, it's fine dining. What a great opportunity'. It's not a great opportunity, nobody else wants him and neither did you! You could have got him eight months ago.
"You could have got him eight weeks ago. You could have got him eight days ago. You're getting him now because you're desperate. Stop trying to bloody spin it as the deal of the century.
"You're going to pay his agent €10 million. What the bloody hell are you doing!? He's free! It's the business side of the deal that really winds me up! We are so bad, we are so bad."
Worrying signs for Man Utd
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a rant of epic proportions.
But to be fair to Goldbridge, it's easy to see why so many United fans are worried because the Cavani deal definitely has whiffs of the Radamel Falcao and Alexis Sanchez disasters.
Of course, we can't put the cart before the horse, but regardless of how Cavani performs, we can feel pretty certain that it's a deal United weren't planning on. Take from that what you will.
