Football
Mike Whalley 10y

Fabio Borini set for Liverpool stay after QPR move collapses

Liverpool striker Fabio Borini is set to stay at Anfield after his proposed deadline-day move to QPR fell through.

The 23-year-old looked set to move to west London after the two clubs agreed a deal worth an initial fee of 10 million pounds.

But sources told ESPN FC that Borini failed to agree personal terms, with Rs boss Harry Redknapp confirming: "His wage demands were way beyond anything we could afford."

The striker had been told by manager Brendan Rodgers that his playing chances will be severely limited if he stays at Liverpool, with Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli the first-choice forwards and Rickie Lambert considered the main back-up option.

Liverpool agreed a 14 million pound deal to sell Borini to Sunderland in July, but the Italian decided against a permanent move to the Stadium of Light.

Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo on Saturday that the striker needed to move on for his own good, saying: "I think Fabio's situation is clear.

"For him, it's best to move on and get playing regularly. But that's something he has to decide."

Black Cats boss Gus Poyet has effectively given up on the compromise of a loan deal for Borini by bringing in Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates.

Uruguay international centre-back Coates, 23, joined Sunderland on a season's loan on Monday. And under Premier League rules, no club can borrow two players from the same team at the same time, meaning that Borini could not follow Coates to Sunderland on loan -- it would have to be a permanent deal.

Borini was Rodgers' first signing as Reds manager, arriving for 10.5 million pounds from Roma in July 2012.

But the striker had a difficult season following his arrival, missing three months with a broken foot sustained in September 2012, before he was ruled out for another two-and-a-half months when he dislocated his shoulder in February 2013.

He scored only twice for Liverpool -- once in a 3-0 Europa League qualifying round victory over Belarusian side Gomel in August 2012, and again in a 6-0 Premier League victory at Newcastle the following April.

Borini scored 10 goals as he spent last season on loan at Sunderland, with several of them coming in key victories.

He endeared himself to Black Cats fans by scoring in home and away derby victories over Newcastle, as well as hitting three significant goals in their run to the Capital One Cup final, in which they were beaten by Manchester City.

Arguably his most significant goal of last season, though, was the penalty that sealed a 2-1 Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge in April -- effectively ending Chelsea's title challenge and going a long way to securing Sunderland's top-flight survival.

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