 After a loan negotiation, Acquafresca finally returned to Cagliari on loan for €2 million and took the number 9 shirt from Nenê.Cagliari also had an option to buy him after the loan.On 22 June 2011, Cagliari announced that the club would not exercise the right to sign him outright, even though Acquafresca had been the flagship striker for Cagliari since the departure of Alessandro Matri in January 2011.