Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says Manchester City wanted Edinson Cavani

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed Manchester City were interested in signing Edinson Cavani but failed to meet the striker's release clause.

Replacement

De Laurentiis also revealed the lengths he went to in his attempts to find Cavani's replacement, confirming he had made enquiries about Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski, Fiorentina newboy Mario Gomez and unsettled Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. However, new boss Benitez is keen on Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain and Internacional forward Leandro Damiao, with the Serie A side reported to be in transfer talks with both players. "I contacted Lewandowski too, but he was already sold to Bayern Munich," he added. "I also contacted Luis Suarez and I made an attempt for Mario Gomez, calling [Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz] Rummenigge on the phone who told me there was not yet an agreement from Fiorentina. "But then I quit all of them because Benitez had other ideas."