Fabio Borini has rejected the advances of Serie A outfits Lazio and Sampdoria over the last few days, according to the Sunderland Echo, as the Italian forward looks to help Sunderland stay in the Premier League, as he did in the 2013/14 season.
There were rumours that Borini had been offered as part of a cash plus player exchange deal for Swansea City's Andre Ayew, but Black Cats boss Sam Allardyce has since confirmed that no bids were made by the club and that his pursuit of the Ghanaian has come to an end.
Lazio and Sampdoria, who sit ninth and 17th in the Serie A table respectively, were interested in acquiring the services of the ex-Roma forward who scored nine goals in 24 appearances for Il Giallorossi back in the 2011/12 season. Borini however, is not currently interested in a return to Italy and has decided to stay at Sunderland in order to aid their survival bid, having only joined on a permanent deal in the summer of 2015.
Striker yet to recapture his best form
The 24-year old striker has yet to rediscover the form that earned him the adoration of many Sunderland fans in his first spell, with him scoring just two goals and recording one assist in a role on the left side of the Sunderland attack - a position that may not be foreign to Borini, but one that is certainly not his preferred role.
With new signing Wahbi Khazri joining earlier today from Bordeaux, Borini will have even more competition as he tries to cement himself in his manager's plans for the future. That is a task that will certainly not be easy, but may be one that can help him rediscover his penchant for scoring vital goals in big games as he did for Gus Poyet's side in the 2013/14 'miracle' season.
Borini could play in the massively challenging game against Manchester City on Tuesday night, and if he makes an appearance he will need to put in a performance reminiscent of his former self or he could risk being left out in the cold by Allardyce in the not so distant future.