Hull City missed out on £2.5m transfer bargain - He's scored nearly 400 goals in his career | OneFootball

Edinson Cavani could have joined the Tigers in 2009 - oh what could have been...

Edinson Cavani has become one of world football's most-respected centre-forwards, scoring nearly 400 goals over the course of a lengthy career for some of Europe's top sides.

However, both the Uruguayan and Hull City could have endured differing trajectories over the course of the past 15 years, had Phil Brown been successful in his pursuit of the powerful frontman.

Instead, the 38-year-old went on to join the likes of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah on the list of 'what could have been' transfers for City supporters, as the then-Palermo man went on to achieve plenty of remarkable feats, whilst the Tigers were left to float in between the Premier League, Championship and even League One during the same period.

Phil Brown's transfer regret involving Edinson Cavani

After reaching the top flight for the first time in the club's history in May 2008, City's maiden venture into the Premier League couldn't have been more contrasting pre and post-Christmas, having plummeted from sixth to 17th in the space of six months, narrowly escaping a return to the second tier on the final day at Newcastle United's expense.

Despite possessing some strong flair and talent in the ranks, Geovanni's total of eight goals - six of which came before November 2008 - as the club's top scorer highlighted Hull's goalscoring problems, with just 39 across the squad all season.

Meanwhile, Cavani had just netted 14 goals in Serie A for eighth-placed Palermo, which earned him the infamous 'El Metador' (The Killer) nickname, and had appeared on the Tigers' radar as a result.

"My chief scout Bob Shaw and assistant manager Brian Horton went to watch Cavani, who was available at Palermo," Brown said.

"They recommended him and we offered £2.5m. I remember the negotiations and it was a deal with a number of clauses in the contract. When it didn't happen, we switched to Negredo, who at the time was at Real Madrid. That was going to be a loan for the season.

"Why didn't they come to Hull? The club was not big enough. In Negredo's case, you were talking about going from Real Madrid to Hull City. But the important thing was that we were ahead of the game in terms of spotting these players. That's where we were at at Hull City."

Edinson Cavani went on to become a star in European football after Hull City move fell through

Hull might have been "ahead of the game" when it came to identifying future potential, but they will always regret failing to land a player of such an eventual reputation on the continent, particularly as they would be relegated just nine months' later, with Brown being placed on 'Gardening Leave' in April 2010 too.

Meanwhile, Cavani would sign for Napoli for a fee as high as €17m the following summer, scoring 104 times in 138 appearances for the Italian giants, before making a €64m switch to PSG in 2013, which made him the most-expensive transfer in French football history and the fifth-most expensive player ever at that point.

The Salto-born forward has since become synonymous with the side from the French capital for winning 21 major honours and scoring 200 goals in 301 games across all competitions, becoming the club's top scorer in January 2018 and being just the third player to net 100 times in two of the continent's top five leagues.

Despite 'Les Parisiens' reaching their first-ever UEFA Champions League final in 2020, Cavani refused a two-month contract extension amid the Coronavirus pandemic, leaving the club on June 30th and becoming a free agent, before eventually making his way to these shores, joining Manchester United.

The experienced striker would net 16 times in the Premier League and UEFA Europa League during his first season at Old Trafford, hitting a purple patch towards the end of the season which included a 40-yard lob in the final home game against Fulham, as well as registering six goal contributions against Roma, which saw United advance to the Europa League final.

His final season in the North West would be blighted by multiple injuries, scoring just twice in 20 appearances, as he would depart at the end of a disappointing campaign for the club and on a personal level.

Since then, the 136-time international has continued to find the net on a regular basis after returning to South America with Argentine giants, Boca Juniors following a mixed spell with Valencia in La Liga.

However, Hull fans would have hoped his remarkable record of just under 400 goals in over 700 appearances could have kick-started in Black and Amber, but it wasn't to be for them or Brown.