New Liverpool boss Rodgers wants reunion with Italy strike ace
Published:Yet to make his first signing as Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers is hopeful of landing a familiar face initially, and has expressed an interest in Roma striker Fabio Borini.
A former Chelsea trainee, Borini worked extensively with Rodgers at Stamford Bridge, when the latter occupied a youth coaching role there prior to becoming a first-team coach.
He then went on to join Swansea on loan, during Rodgers’ spell in charge at the Liberty Stadium, and played a significant part in the Swans’ promotion to the Premier League.
After opting to make a permanent switch to his native Italy rather than re-join the Welsh club on a loan basis last season, Borini could now be set to re-unite with Rodgers at Liverpool.
The forward enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with Roma, scoring ten times in only 26 appearances, and thus earning a spot in Cesare Prandelli’s Euro 2012 squad.
Co-owned by Parma, the 21-year-old has failed to make an appearance for that Serie A side as of yet, and may return to the Premier League before he does.
Borini is now being touted as a future Azzuri star after an impressive maiden season at the Olympic Stadium, which could ramp up his value.
Appearances at the European championships in Poland and Ukraine would also go some way to bolstering his stock, though he has failed to feature in Italy’s three games at the tournament to date.
That said, it is believed that Parma initially paid a lowly £600,000 compensation fee to Chelsea in the hope of cashing in quickly on the striker.
Therefore, both they and Roma could be ready to allow the player to move on, and though Liverpool have yet to make a formal bid for the player, it is thought a fee in the region of £10million would be enough to secure Borini’s services.
