Arsenal Hopeful as Colombian Star Cuadrado to Decide Future After World Cup

Arsenal and Barcelona have been given a boost in their pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder Juan Cuadrado after the Colombian star admitted he will be looking to decide on his future destination after the World Cup.

The versatile 26-year-old midfielder is proving to be a sensation at the World Cup, leading his side to victories over Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan with four assists.

Reports in Spain claimed Gunners' officials are set to meet with Cuadrado's agent in the upcoming weeks in order to outbid both Barca and Bayern Munich for the Colombian star's services.

Arsene Wenger is desperately looking for a dependable right-back to replace Bacary Sagna and even though reports claim his first-choice is Serge Aurier, Cuadrado could also bolster the midfield.

The star was elated after helping Colombia defeat Uruguay in the last-16 and when asked about his future, he said as quoted by Marca: "I have said it before and I will say it again: my family and I are very happy in Florence.

"Right now I am focussed on the World Cup. After which, the time will come to think about my future."

Fiorentina are said to be unlikely to negotiate a deal after they recently bought him from Udinese for around £20m.

"It feels strange to be valued at over €30m (£24m). It seemed incredible at first, but I am very happy here - I have not changed my mind," Cuadrado said.

Also Barcelona have been monitoring his situation for a while and recent reports in Spain claim the Catalans have already agreed personal terms with the player having earmarked him as a replacement for Dani Alves – as he can play both as a winger and as a full-back.

Mundo Deportivo reports that when asked about Barca's interest, the player smiled and said: "The alleged interest of Barca for me? I do not know anything, really. They have not said anything to me personally.

The Colombian star is predominantly a winger scoring 11 goals and grabbing eight assists for Fiorentina in 32 Serie A appearances last season.