Tuesday, 6th May, 2014
Cagliari sporting director Nicola Salerno believes that Colombian striker Victor Ibarbo moving to Leeds United is far from a done deal, with a good World Cup sure to put other clubs hot on his tail.
Ibarbo is being lined up to swap Cagliari for Leeds, with the Italian club's owner Massimo Cellino having acquired 75 per cent of the English side. Cellino is believed to see the Colombian as a perfect addition to a Leeds squad he hopes will chase promotion to the Premier League next term.
And Ibarbo could be one of just a number of Cagliari players who end up making the journey from Sardinia to Yorkshire this summer, as Salerno himself has admitted, Danilo Avelar, Andrea Tabanelli and Sebastian Eriksson also possible contenders for a switch.
But the Ibarbo case may not be straightforward and if the striker does leave Cagliari, there may be a scramble for his services.
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Asked whether it is possible Ibarbo could move to a club other than Leeds if he leaves Cagliari, Salerno told CalcioNews24: "Well, it's normal, he's a player who will be at the next World Cup in Brazil.
"In a month there will be several enquiries for him, maybe even internationally.
"He is a strong player and important.
"It's still too early for any assessments because things can change at any time, just as was the case with [Radja] Nainggolan in January, no one expected that he would end up at Roma."
Ibarbo was snapped up by Cagliari in 2011 from Colombian outfit Atletico Nacional.
At international level the 23-year-old was on target for Colombia in a friendly win over Belgium in November.
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