The full-back left Serie A last summer, leaving Inter Milan to come to Tyneside.
There was rumour throughout the season that the Italian was unsettled, and even now Alan Pardew is looking for a player in his position.
I think most Toon fans believe that he could be lured back to Italy after just 12 months in England, so it comes as no surprise that Italian clubs are taking a look at the situation.
Roma are said to have already seen one approach knocked back, while Sampdoria were believed to be waiting in the wings.
The Genoa-based club insist they have no intention of making an approach.
Sampdoria's sporting director Pasquale Sensibile: "Santon has decided to go and play in a country where the football is different from ours.
"He is a player who is not part of our transfer objectives."