Italian striker and free agent Antonio Cassano is in talks with Sampdoria about a move to the club who he left in 2011, reports claim. The Italian international has been without a club since having his contract terminated by mutual consent by Parma in January, when it was announced the 32-year-old had not been paid since June 2014. A Goal.com report claims that Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has stated the club have began talks about a return for Cassano, who previously spent four years at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris when an initial loan move from Real Madrid in 2007 was made permanent the following year, having fallen out of favour with the Spanish giants. The attacker, who has often been criticised for short temper throughout his career, was linked with a move to Juventus when his contract was initially torn up earlier this year. However, with the Serie A champions now targeting other avenues Cassano will have to re-think his next move. It's likely that a number of European clubs will be queuing up for the 39 time-capped forward as wouldn't take up a transfer fee, but a move back to the club where he scored 41 in 115 matches may see the Italian side who finished 7th last season rise even higher in the table next. Despite only managing 19 league appearances for Madrid, where a poor first season saw him miss out on a place in Italy's eventual 2006 World Cup winning squad, Cassano has since gone on to play for Internazionale and AC Milan in a career that also includes a 30 million transfer from Bari to AS Roma. You won't find many better footballing CVs than that.
