Swansea to beat Liverpool to signing of Argentine striker
Published:Swansea City are set to beat off competition from Liverpool and Fulham to the signing of former Real Betis striker Mariano Pavone.
Brendan Rogers is holding talks with the representatives of the free agent in a bid to convince the player to move to South Wales and the club are confident Rogers’ knowledge of Spain will be enough to snatch Pavone from under the noses of Fulham and Liverpool.
Pavone is eager to tie up a deal following the collapse of his proposed move to Blackburn Rovers, and speed is of the essence for Swansea.
With a strong Spanish contingent at the club and with a manager that can speak the language, Pavone will feel at ease at the Welsh club and it’s looking increasingly likely that the former Real Betis striker will become Rogers’ first permanent signing of the summer.
The 29-year-old spent last season on loan at River Plate in his native Argentina, netting eight times in 18 appearances, but his goalscoring record at Betis was average at best.
In 77 games for the Spanish club Pavone managed just 17 goals although he did net 51 times in 172 appearances for previous club Estudiantes.
Pavone has been capped for Argentine once, back in 2007 in a dour 0-0 draw with Chile but he has failed to establish himself in the Argentine squad since and while he will be an asset to Swansea should they sign him, he’s unlikely to set the Premier League alight.
Swansea and Norwich remain favoured to go down at 4/7 and Rogers knows he needs goals to keep them in the division.
A double figure tally from Pavone would go a long way to keeping the Swans in the Premier League but on the basis of his goalscoring record, it seems an optimistic target.
