Brazilian Leonardo, sporting director of French football champions Paris Saint-Germain, confirmed the departure of the two stars, the Brazilian international captain Thiago Silva and his Uruguayan international goalscorer Edinson Cavani.
"It was a very difficult decision," Leonardo said in an interview with the local weekly, "Le Journal de Dimanche", to be published on Sunday.
"These are the players who left a mark on the club's history: We always ask whether we should continue the run to the end together or is it better to avoid an extension for an additional year. Their career with us was very beautiful," he added in excerpts of the interview published on Saturday on the newspaper's website. But, yes, we reached the end. We had to make a logical decision, even on the economic level or by looking at the next generation. "
This statement confirms the press information published in recent days, which dealt with the departure of Commander Silva, 35, and Cavani, 33, the historical goal of Paris Saint-Germain (200 goals).