Sunderland failed in January bid to land Fiorentina striker, confirms agent

Sam Allardyce added five new signings to his Black Cats squad in January - with Lamine Kone, Wahbi Khazri, Jan Kirchhoff, Dame N'Doye and Steve Harper - heading to the Stadium of Light.

But Sunderland missed out on Babacar, a Senegal youth international, after his agent confirmed their interest.

The 22-year-old has been struggling to hold down a place in Paulo Sousa’s starting line-up but Sunderland were unable to prise him away from the Serie A side.

Babacar’s agent Patrick Bastianelli insists his client remains committed to Fiorentina.

"Beyond Sunderland there were other clubs who tried to sign him, another two clubs,” Bastianelli told Italian radio station Radio Blu.

"But the player always showed his attachment to the city and Fiorentina didn’t consider the offers."

Premier League rivals Crystal Palace were also said to be keen on Babacar, who has netted five goals in 14 Serie A outings for Fiorentina this season.

The striker has also scored two goals in five Europa League games. Sunderland were also chasing the signature of Swansea City's Andre Ayew.