Fabio Borini has made eight appearances for the Chelsea first team

Swansea City have signed Chelsea and Italian under-21 striker Fabio Borini on loan until the end of the season.

Boss Brendan Rodgers has returned to his former club to bolster Swansea's strike-force as the Welsh club crank up their Premier League promotion push.

Highly-rated Borini, 19, rejected interest from Lazio, Parma and Juventus to join Championship side Swansea who sit third in the table.

"I'm delighted with the signing," said Rodgers.

"He's a player I tried to get earlier in the season but because of complications with his contract at Chelsea and the fact that he was in and around the first team, he didn't get permission to go out on loan.

"He's a young player with great potential. He's got intensity, passion and a natural goal scoring ability.

"I worked with him in Chelsea's youth and reserve team and I firmly believe he will help us a great deal during the run-in.''

Borini has yet to score in his eight games for Chelsea's first team.

He is well down boss Carlo Ancelotti's pecking order with Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres while 10-goal Salomon Kalou is also a regular for the Premier League title chasers.

And Stamford Bridge boss Ancelotti also has Daniel Sturridge on his books but the England under-21 forward is on loan at Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.

Bironi, who joined Chelsea from Italian club Bologna in the summer of 2007, has only made one start for Chelsea in their League Cup victory against Queens Park Rangers in September 2009.

So the youngster, who featured in their 2-2 Champions League draw with Apoel Nicosia in December 2009, hopes to kick-start his career at Swansea in their remaining nine Championship games this season.

Rodgers was part of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea backroom staff between September 2004 and November 2008 and has since gone back to Stamford Bridge to sign Scott Sinclair on a permanent deal and now Bironi on loan.

Winger Sinclair, named on the Championship Player of the Year shortlist, is Swansea's 21-goal top scorer this season.

But Rodgers, who was at Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea's 0-0 Champions League draw with Copenhagen on Wednesday, hopes his latest acquisition can take some of the goal-scoring burden away from the England under-21 international.

Current Swans strikers Craig Beattie and Luke Moore have scored just six league goals between them this season while Stephen Dobbie also has six goals but the Scottish striker has also been used as an attacking midfielder.

Midfielder Darren Pratley is Swansea's second top-scorer this term with 10 goals but Rodgers is keen for his strikers to start scoring as they step-up their bid for promotion to the Premier League.

Borini, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has captained Chelsea's reserve side and scored five goals to inspire a comeback from 3-0 down to beat West Bromwich Albion's second-string 5-4 in October 2010.

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