Thursday, 14th August, 2014
Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella has dropped a strong hint that winger Juan Cuadrado is speeding towards the exit door by omitting him from his squad to face Real Madrid on Saturday.
Fiorentina lock horns with the European champions in a prestigious pre-season friendly in Warsaw as they continue to prepare for the new Serie A campaign.
And Montella has named a squad to head to Poland for the match – but Cuadrado is not included.
The news will pour oil on the fire of transfer speculation surrounding the Colombia international, who has been strongly linked with both Barcelona and Manchester United throughout the summer window.
It has been suggested that Montella has left Cuadrado out, along with team-mate Facundo Roncaglia, because the pair are suspended for the club's Serie A opener against Roma and the coach wants to work with the side that will turn out against the Giallorossi on 30th August.
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However, even in that eventuality, Cuadrado's omission from the squad to head to Poland has still been deemed strange, especially as he is fully fit.
The winger is known to be available for the right price, with Fiorentina thought to want around the €40m mark for a player who further enhanced his credentials with Colombia at the World Cup this summer.
Club president Andrea Della Valle has admitted Cuadrado could be on his way, conceding some offers are too good to turn down.
"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", he said last weekend.
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