FABIO BORINI has finally returned to Wearside in a deal worth £9.75m from Liverpool after he successfully passed a medical at Sunderland today. 

The Black Cats have confirmed that a permanent swoop for Borini has been concluded after agreeing a deal with the Reds for the Italian.

An offer of £8m plus nearly £2m in add-ons was accepted by Liverpool and he has signed a four-year deal worth a reputed £60,000-a-week.

Head coach Dick Advocaat said: “Fabio is a great addition to the squad who will make our front line stronger. He can play in a number of attacking positions which is a huge benefit to the team.”

And Borini, who rejected the chance to move to Sunderland 12 months ago in a more expensive £14m deal, said: “I am delighted to be back at Sunderland. It is a club I know really well from my time here previously. It will be emotional for me to play at the Stadium of Light again and I can’t wait to get back on the pitch as a Sunderland player.”

Sunderland have landed the 24-year-old despite interest from Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Watford. None, though, were prepared to match the bid from Sunderland.

It ends a long running transfer saga which dates back to last summer when Gus Poyet tried to persuade him to turn a season-long loan in to a full-time switch. He was keen to establish himself at Anfield but that has not materialised.

Borini's arrival means Advocaat, who has pulled out of a deal for Borussia Dortmund's 29-year-old Adrian Ramos, has the extra striker he wanted but he is still hopeful of signing a new defender too.