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Though the clubs are reported to have agreed a deal worth up to £14M to take Fabio Borini to Sunderland from Liverpool, the player himself remains reluctant to move permanently to the North East club. Despite the increased competition at Liverpool, Borini's agent insists the player still wants to spend a full, healthy season on Merseyside in order to prove his worth at the highest level.
"Sunderland have made an impressive offer to take him, but Fabio wants to stay," Marcho De Marchi told Tuttomercatoweb. "The project he looked to start with Liverpool two years ago when he left Roma was a major one. During the first year he was out for six months with foot and shoulder injuries; last year he took a step back by going to Sunderland and had an extraordinary season."
After being named Sunderland's young player of the season and playing a key role in their Premier League survival, Borini's reluctance to return will come as a blow for fans of Gus Poyet's side. Particularly after the club stepped up with an offer large enough to tempt Liverpool into selling a player that, though available, the club were not actively seeking to sell this summer.
"He has told me he will remain; that he thinks it is worth the gamble," added De Marchi when asked further about Borini's plans for the coming season and where he sees himself fitting in at Liverpool. "At Roma they had Totti, Osvaldo, Lamela, and Bojan, so he has no fear of competing with anyone. For me he can be a part of a squad at any top club. I am convinced of it and he is convinced of it."
It's certainly hard to fault the young attacker for his determination to make a career at a title challenging side in one of Europe's top leagues. And though Liverpool were willing to sell once Sunderland made a large enough offer, it's worth repeating that the club did not appear to be actively shopping the player. If Borini is determined to stay and fight, it's entirely possible Rodgers will find a place for him.
The last young player the club had agreed to sell only for the player himself to push back as Borini has was Jordan Henderson, and he has certainly proven his worth since being offered to Fulham along with cash in exchange for Clint Dempsey. Hopefully, if Borini is truly determined not to leave this summer, he can go on to make a similar impact for the club.
