Brendan Rodgers eager to bring Fabio Borini to Celtic

Wherever Brendan Rodgers goes, it’s a safe assumption that Fabio Borini will follow.

While making his name as a coach in the youth ranks at Chelsea, Rodgers worked with a teenage Borini between 2007-08 following the Italian’s arrival from Bologna.

Rodgers soon left to become the manager of Watford but it was at Swansea where he had his greatest impact, guiding them to promotion via the play-offs in the 2010/11 season.

He brought in Borini on a short-term loan in the Spring of that season to help guide Swansea to the Premier League and he made a big impact for Rodgers’ side, scoring six goals and recording four assists in just 12 appearances for the Swans.

After Rodgers was named manager of Liverpool in the summer of 2012, one of his first moves was to bring Borini, then of AS Roma, to Anfield in an £11m deal but things never really worked for the 26-year-old at Liverpool, scoring just three goals in 38 appearances during two seasons at the club sandwiched either side of a loan spell with Sunderland.

Borini completed a permanent move to Sunderland in August 2015 but with the Black Cats staring relegation in the face, it’s likely that some of their bigger names will leave the club in the summer and the Daily Record believe Rodgers will make a move to once again reunite with Borini.

The report claims that Sunderland will be willing to do business at around £4m in the summer, about half of what they paid to bring him to the Stadium of Light.

With Patrick Roberts set to leave Celtic in the summer to return to Manchester City when his loan deal expires, Rodgers will be in the market for a versatile forward to replace him and Borini, who can play across the forward line but primarily operates as a centre-forward, could be that man.