Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has eased fears regarding Fabio Borini after the Sunderland target picked up a shoulder injury in pre-season that threatened to see any move away from Anfield this summer hit the buffers.
The 23-year-old, whom Sunderland have agreed a £14m fee for, sustained the injury in the ninth minute of Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Roma at Fenway Park following a clash with Seydou Keita and needed instant treatment on the touchline.
Borini, who was taken off minutes after the collision, is currently mulling over a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light - where he had a successful spell on loan last season - and Rodgers has poured cold water on speculation claiming his shoulder knock could scupper a move.
“It's not as bad as first thought,” said Rodgers after the game.
“He has only bruised it. He will miss a few days. He won't train for the rest of the trip but it won't be anything serious and he will be okay.
“As for his future, we will see. We have had a significant bid from a Premier League club and it is something he is thinking about.”
Borini, who has been on the end of a bad shoulder injury in the past after suffering a dislocation in February 2013 which left him out of action for eight weeks, is now set to undergo further medical tests to understand the severity of the injury.
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has made no secret of his desire to bring Borini, who scored seven Premier League goals for the Black Cats last term, back to Wearside on a permanent basis.
Poyet told the Sunderland Echo on Wednesday: “It is not for me to explain but it is not just a question of Fabio wanting to come or not.
“There are many, many things to look at and unfortunately, I cannot comment on those.
“We are involved in negotiations and you never know how long that can take. There’s nothing new to report as things stand, but we are still hoping to close the deal completely.
“It’s up to Fabio. We have been clear, everything is fine, there’s no doubt about his connection with our club, and me and him get along fine, so there is no reason for it not to happen.
“I would love to know how long it will take to sort out, but all I can tell you is that things are changing every day.
“We have targets that we are looking for, we have other options, but we have an agreement with Liverpool and we will do everything possible to get Fabio to the club first.
“If Fabio does not come, it does not set us back, we would move on - we are not a one-player team.”