Sunderland reportedly tried to sign Sampdoria attacking midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Busy summer

It was certainly a busy summer for the Stadium of Light outfit in terms of transfers, as 10 new signings were made before the deadline.

It also saw a change of management towards the end of the window, with Alex Neil swapping the Wearside club for fellow Championship rivals Stoke City, and Tony Mowbray coming in in his place.

The Latest: Sabiri talks

As per Italian news outlet SampNews24, the Black Cats - along with AS Roma in Serie A - 'tried' to sign Sabiri in the summer, but he ended up joining Sampdoria on a permanent deal instead after his initial loan spell from Ascoli.

Talks have not gone on further from Sunderland's end with regards to the player, and so he looks to be staying at Sampdoria for now.

The Verdict: What could have been

Sabiri is certainly a tale of what could have been for Sunderland.

Hailed as a 'street footballer' by former Koblenz youth coach Vincenzo Di Maio, who discovered him as a youngster, and 'very fast' by former Paderborn sporting director Martin Przondziono (Bundesliga), the now 25-year-old has lived up to early his hype.

He has 58 goals and 21 assists in total over the course of his career for both club and country at youth and senior level (Transfermarkt), and scored the winning goal to send Sampdoria through in their domestic cup this season.

Nonetheless, Sabiri is always a player that Sunderland could look to revisit in the future.