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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the Merseyside club have agreed a fee with Sunderland for Fabio Borini. However, no deal is imminent as personal terms are yet to be discussed.
Reports emerged last night from some pretty solid sources that a £12m offer with add-ons for the Italian was accepted, and they seem to have been bang on the money. Rodgers told BT Sport:
He spent a really successful period with Sunderland last year, and it's obviously a fantastic club.
They've offered to buy Fabio and that's where it's at. There is an agreement between the two clubs, but nothing is agreed with the player as of yet. So at the moment he's still very much a Liverpool player, but when that changes I'm sure you'll be among the first to know.
Rodgers was speaking before Liverpool's preseason game at Preston, which Borini started. That had caused a little confusion and concern amongst Sunderland fans that perhaps the reports were a little premature.
However, it appears that they are just continuing his preparation for the new season in case the deal falls through, and with Borini yet to discuss terms that is probably a wise precaution for all parties. You'd hope, though, that Sunderland wouldn't have let it get this far without assurances from the player that he wanted to return, so fingers crossed. Of course, this is Sunderland, so you can never take anything for granted.
