FABIO BORINI is excited to be back at the Stadium of Light after Sunderland finally brought an end to a 13-month chase for his signature– and he will be joined by another new recruit later today.

The Italian forward has signed a four-year deal on Wearside after the Black Cats agreed to pay Liverpool an initial £7.75m fee which could rise by a further £2m in add-ons.

On a day when it was confirmed that Emanuele Giaccherini has completed a season-long loan move to Bologna after a frustrating two years in England, Sunderland have also put plans in place to add a domestic loan before today's 6pm transfer deadline.

Head coach Dick Advocaat expects to have an extra defender on board who can play both centrally and on the left before the window shuts, with players at the Premier League’s title-chasing clubs under consideration.

There would also be room for a further domestic loan under the rules, although Sunderland are not expecting to fill that slot unless something tempting presents itself as the day goes on.

But Advocaat will be relieved to have added the extra striker he wanted after Sunderland finally persuaded Borini to head back to the club, two years after his loan spell from Liverpool.

West Ham United had also agreed to pay Liverpool the asking price for Borini, while Inter Milan were not prepared to match the terms. That handed the player a straight choice between the two Premier League clubs.

And Borini, who rejected a £14m switch to Sunderland last year because he was keen to fight for his place at Liverpool, said: “It is the perfect time. In the past people looked at a decision that was out of my control and I wasn’t really in a position to make any decision. But here I am. I had a lot of clubs interested in me and I am here because I am happy to be here and my wife is happy to be here.”

The 24-year-old is understood to have changed his agent since last summer, although he was repeatedly honest in his interviews during his initial stint at Sunderland by indicating he wanted to try to prove himself with Liverpool in the Champions League.

Speaking at the Academy of Light yesterday, Borini said: “I am here to stay now and I am proud to wear the shirt.

“Sunderland is the biggest club here up north and hopefully we can have a successful season and we all want that. It is nice to have this international break because at Liverpool I have been training on my own. It will help me get my fitness.

“It’s very nice to be back here to a place I used to call home. A piece of my heart was always here. It was great being here. I came here after a season of injuries and we had a successful season in the end where we stayed up and we got to Wembley for the first time. I was very pleased and very happy.”

Sunderland were close to doing a deal with Borussia Dortmund for Colombian striker Adrian Ramos, who was offered a three-year deal on Wearside. The two clubs had not reached an agreement over the player’s £7.25m valuation, however, when Sunderland learned Borini was ready to return.

That led to Sunderland’s new approach to Liverpool on Sunday night, before Borini successfully passed a medical and agree terms on a reputed £60,000-a-week deal.

Borini played a key role in the Black Cats' run to the 2014 Capital One Cup final, in which he scored the opening goal against Manchester City, and their remarkable escape from Premier League relegation at the end of the same season.

He made just 18 appearances last season and is yet to figure this time around so that has led to interest from a number of clubs in Italy as well as Watford and West Ham here. He will wear No 9.