Armand Lauriente came close to signing for Sunderland last week

Sassuolo forward Armand Lauriente is now considering other options in the aftermath of his collapsed transfer to Sunderland, with a move to Serie A side Bologna potentially on the cards, according to reports.

The Frenchman had looked destined to sign for the Black Cats in a deal worth £17.5 million over the weekend, and even went as far as travelling to Portugal to link up with Regis Le Bris’ squad, only for the agreement to be called off at the eleventh hour.

In the days since, Foot Italia and other outlets on the continent have reported that early discussions between the involved parties had been positive, with personal terms thought to have been broadly agreed at around €2.5million (£2.1million) per year on a five-year contract. But Italian sources now claim that talks broke down at the final hurdle due to disagreements involving Lauriente's representatives.

Contrary to initial speculation, Lauriente did not fail his medical with Sunderland and had, in fact, completed all necessary steps ahead of his transfer. The plan was then for the player to join up with his new teammates ahead of Monday’s friendly clash with Sporting CP.

However, an apparent late push for revised terms from the winger’s camp ultimately convinced Sunderland to abandon the agreement. Subsequent reports claim the breakdown has left Sassuolo deeply frustrated, with the player's entourage also blamed for what’s being described as an “irreparable rift” in negotiations.

What next for Armand Lauriente after failed Sunderland transfer?

Lauriente has now returned to Italy to rejoin Fabio Grosso’s squad for pre-season training, but according to a fresh update from Foot Italia, he may still be destined for a move away from Sassuolo sooner rather than later.

It is understood that the 26-year-old is “evaluating a few other proposals from within Serie A”, with Bologna said to among those keeping tabs on his situation, while Lauriente himself is supposedly “keeping an eye on potential new opportunities abroad too.”

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What has been said about Sunderland’s transfer plans?

Speaking after Monday’s 1-0 defeat against Sporting, head coach Le Bris admitted that Sunderland are not necessarily on the brink of any transfer breakthroughs, but did reiterate the club’s desire to continue their recruitment drive over the coming weeks.

He said: “The market is always tough. A lot of work, a lot of discussions, a lot of conversations behind the scenes. I think our project is really attractive but it is not the only one.

“We want to reinforce the squad with the best players we can, who fit the identity of the club and mentality of the team. It's not easy to do this, it's the same for goalkeeper, striker, pivot... I don't know. Every position is possible. We'll see later whether it is possible [to recruit a player in this position].”

Le Bris also conceded that the derailment of Lauriente’s transfer, coupled with an injury to Romaine Mundle, all but guarantees that Sunderland will need to sign another winger this summer.

He continued: “It's fair to say we will have a recruitment to make in this position. Simon [Adingra] has a good background in the Premier League but if he's alone in this position, we'll struggle. Chemsdine [Talbi] is young and has many games but is very young for the Premier League. So we'll need to reinforce this part of the squad. We'll see, because it's not an easy position.”

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