The move undervalues Borini
Borini moved to Liverpool from Roma for £11m in the summer of 2012 as one of Brendan Rodgers’ first signings. He struggled to make his mark in an injury plagued first season, and while he has impressed for Sunderland on loan, there is no chance that Liverpool would recoup the money that they paid for him if they decide to go ahead with the swap deal.
In case the deal did go through, it might involve Liverpool paying some cash along with Borini to secure the deal which would price Borini at less than half of what Liverpool paid for him. That makes no business sense, especially for a player who has shown a great deal of promise so far this season. Besides, Adam Johnson is not the sort of player that Liverpool need, and they would be much better served to look at other options.
With Brendan Rodgers suggesting that the Konoplyanka move could be completed in the summer, it makes more sense to have Borini as a backup striker and invest the funds available in buying a quality winger.