LAZIO have become the latest Italian club to express an interest in Sunderland winger Emanuele Giaccherini.

Having spent last season on loan at Serie A side Bologna, the Italian winger is set to leave Wearside on a permanent basis this summer, with the Black Cats hoping to recoup around half of the £6m they shelled out to sign Giaccherini from Juventus in 2014.

Bologna had hoped to recruit him permanently, but have accepted they are unlikely to be able to match the 31-year-old’s wages.

That appeared to have paved the way for Torino to outmanoeuvre their Italian rivals, and officials from the Turin-based club have held discussions with their counterparts at the Stadium of Light.

Sampdoria have also been mentioned as potential suitors in the Italian press, and now a fourth club has entered the equation after Lazio signalled their own intention to make a bid.

Lazio finished eighth in Serie A last season, and are hoping a summer overhaul will enable them to mount a push for the Champions League places next term.

Giaccherini’s stock is extremely high in his homeland, with his call-up to Italy’s Euro 2016 squad having underlined the quality of his performances last season.

Sunderland will be delighted at the level of interest in Serie A, and will be hoping Giaccherini’s profile rises further as a result of some strong displays in France over the next month.

Meanwhile, the Black Cats are eyeing signings of their own, with Lorient midfielder Didier Ndong the latest Ligue 1 player to be linked with a possible move to Wearside.

Ndong, who is a Gabon international, is rated at around €10m, with Torino having had a €5m bid rejected earlier this summer.

Sunderland have included him on a list of potential French-based targets, although Russian side Spartak Moscow have also been credited with an interest in his services.