KOP News # 1290

Could Italy's young Euro 2012 striker be a Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool signing?

Borini in action for Italy's under-21s, before he made the step up to the senior side

By talkSPORT magazine | Sunday, June 10, 2012

 

At just 21, Fabio Borini is part of Italy's Euro 2012 squad and, interestingly for Liverpool fans, he's already played for new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers twice already during his short career. Having spent last season on loan at Roma, Borini's future is far from certain and with Liverpool looking for young attacking talent, Borini could well fit the bill.

Name: Fabio Borini
Date of birth: 29 March 1991
Birthplace: Bentivoglio
Position: Striker
Club: Roma
International appearances: 1 cap (prior to Euro 2012)

What's the latest?
Borini is actually co-owned by current club Roma and Parma, who signed him from Chelsea in 2011, then sent him on loan to the Italian capital. In January 2012, Borini was bought outright by Roma, but Parma retain part-ownership, meaning they will profit from any future sale. After the departure of Roma's coach Luis Enrique at the end of last season, there has been speculation that Borini could move on once again, although the appointment of Zdenek Zeman could be enough to see him stay, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and their Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti. Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers has also been keeping an eye on Borini's progress and, now he is at Anfield, possesses the financial clout to potentially tempt the young Italian star back to the Premier League. Borini's agent claims Liverpool already tried to sign the young star from Chelsea in the summer of 2011, but he opted to head back to Italy.

Did you know?
1) Borini joined Chelsea at the age of 16 while Brendan Rodgers was reserve team coach.

2) He started the final few months of Rodgers' time at Stamford Bridge in fine form, scoring 12 goals in 12 games across youth and reserve team level.

3) Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti rewarded Borini's progress with a place in the club's 2009-10 Champions League squad. He made his Premier League debut against Spurs and went on to play another three senior games for the club.

4) A contract dispute limited his involvement at first team level in 2010-11 and he was sent out on loan to Rodgers' Swansea, flourishing in the Championship where he scored six goals in nine games to help the Swans gain top flight promotion.

5) After a promising first season at Roma, in which he scored nine goals, Borini earned his first full Italy cap - having played at all other representative levels for the national side - in February 2012 and was included in the Euro 2012 squad.

They say:
"I am waiting for a call from Parma and Roma to know the intentions of the two clubs. We will evaluate every proposal and choose the best option for Fabio." Borini's agent, Marco Di Marchi, May 2012

He says:
"Brendan Rodgers is a good manager and a great person who knows me very well. He is like an uncle because he helped me a lot when I was at Chelsea." Fabio Borini, May 2011