It could be goodbye: Serie A club expected to return for Seb Larsson at the end of the season

According to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fiorentina will return for Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson at the end of the season, having previously been interested in securing the 31-year-old's services last summer.

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Larsson has been with Sunderland for six years and is out of contract at the end of the season. Widely assumed to be in line for a new deal at the Stadium of Light, the Swede's departure would be a huge statement of intent that David Moyes does intend to oversee a major revolution this summer with a huge new broom to sweep out the old.

The veteran of 88 caps for Sweden will be aiming to book a place at next year's World Cup having returned to the international scene during the last set of qualifying fixtures held in March. Larsson had missed 7 games for his country during the summer and autumn period last year through injury.

Even if Larsson has received an offer of a new deal at Sunderland, the player may yet feel he would have a better chance of making the tournament in Russia with a fresh start elsewhere.

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The midfielder - who turns 32 next month - has racked up 200 appearances in a Sunderland shirt and is one of the few long-serving players to have survived the unending series of successive managers and philosophy changes at the Stadium of Light.

Fiorentina are intent on restructuring their midfield this summer and are heading for a top-half finish in Serie A. The Florence-based outfit are coached by Paulo Sousa, the former Benfica and Juventus star who has had spells managing in England with Queens Park Rangers, Swansea and Leicester.

Larsson recently revealed that he has had offers in recent years from Italy and Germany plus clubs in Dubai for his services. The Swedish international signed a new three-year deal at the Stadium of Light in 2014 which expires this summer.

David Moyes has indicated that he intended discussing options with the eight Sunderland players out of contract this week as the squad prepare for the final home game of the season tomorrow against Swansea.

That fixture will afford several first team players an opportunity to say farewell to the Sunderland faithful, though after such a dire season some will be missed more than others.

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Larsson has featured 18 times in the Premier League during this campaign following knee surgery after Euro2016 which initially kept him out until December. A regular since, the Swede was sent off against Manchester United at the Stadium of Light last month and copped a three-game ban but returned to the squad on the bench for last week's trip to Hull City.

Deal or no deal? Italy-bound? Could it finally be time to wave goodbye to Sunderland's long-serving Swede?