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In a move that will be sure to fuel the speculation surrounding Stephane Sessegnon's future, Sunderland are exploring the option of bringing in Fabio Quagliarella from Juventus.
The 30-year-old former Italian International has been deemed surplus to requirements at La Vecchia Signora following the summer arrivals of Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez, and Sunderland are believed to have made an enquiry about the possibility of bringing him to Wearside on loan.
Quagliarella's Juve teammate Alessandro Matri has also been mentioned by some Italian-based journalists.
Should Sunderland make a concrete move for either of them then Stephane Sessegnon's future would certainly come into serious doubt. Following his side's final preseason game against FC Midtjylland, Paolo Di Canio was keen to express his approval of the forwards at his disposal, and any further senior reinforcements in that area would come at the expense of an existing option.
It could well be that Sunderland are simply preparing a contingency plan in case an approach materialises for Sessegnon, but he has been linked with a move to Qatar and a big money offer - to either player or club - could essentially force an exit.