Cagliari target Croatia ace

After securing promotion to Serie A, Cagliari are keen to bolster their squad and are aiming to take advantage of Ancona heading in the opposite direction by signing Rapaic.

The 30-year-old, who played for Croatia at Euro 2004, joined Ancona last November and has a contract with the club until 2006.

He had previously been without a team for eight months after leaving Fenerbahce and also had an unsuccessful trial spell with Liverpool.

Rapaic netted four times in 14 appearances for Ancona, who are determined to retain his services to boost their prospects of a swift return to Serie A.

That has not prevented Cagliari from making an enquiry although Ancona's demand for a ‚é¼2 million fee has cooled the interest.

Only last month, Rapaic was linked with a move to The Premiership while Fiorentina and Genoa are also rumoured to be lining up a bid to prise the attacker from Ancona's grasp.