Sunderland's Santon pursuit off as Inter talks hit snag

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Sunderland has released a statement saying that its efforts to sign Davide Santon have fallen through after talks between the Wearside outfit and Inter Milan broke down.

The statement reads:

Sunderland AFC will not be pursuing its interest in Inter Milan player Davide Santon, after negotiations between the two clubs failed to reach a positive conclusion.

Full-back Santon was apparently keen on returning to the northeast with his English partner Chloe Sanderson after three-and-a-half years at rival Newcastle United. The cost of acquiring the 25-year-old was believed to be in the region of £4 million, but discussions are now off.

Santos has been back at Inter since initially rejoining on loan in January 2015. He progressed through the ranks of the Nerazzurri amid much hype, but has never lived up to the lofty comparisons to Paolo Maldini and other Italian greats.

Manager Sam Allardyce is understood to have had the right side of his defence in mind for Santon, potentially as a replacement for the out-of-form Billy Jones and competition to DeAndre Yedlin.