Tuesday, 12th August, 2014
Fiorentina are hoping Barcelona engage in a bidding war with Manchester United over Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado, according to Catalan daily Sport.
Both clubs are known to be keen on snapping up Cuadrado, who scored eleven goals in Serie A for La Viola last season from his position on the flank.
Manchester United are believed to have already indicated they are willing to pay around €40m to sign Cuadrado, but Fiorentina are determined not to sign-off on a deal before Barcelona make their move.
The Coppa Italia finalists are now waiting for Barcelona to indicate their bid for Cuadrado, having been in touch with the Catalan giants to confirm a proposal is indeed being prepared.
Barcelona are also set to mount a charm offensive on Cuadrado himself, aiming to convince the winger that he would be better served by supplying the ammunition for Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou than joining a Manchester United side with no Champions League football to offer.
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Fiorentina are hoping to take a big step towards resolving the winger's future this week, with president Andrea Della Valle having hinted that hope of keeping the player is all but mission impossible for La Viola.
Speaking on Saturday, Della Valle explained: "I told him to stay for a year with us in a competitive team, but I am not very optimistic because on the other hand if you receive an important offer you cannot keep him."
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