Football outcast Mario Balotelli ordered back to Liverpool as former Manchester City striker struggles to find a club – The Sun

01/29/2022

LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp has ordered outcast striker Mario Balotelli back for pre-season training after AC Milan rejected him.

The Italian forward spent last season on loan at the Serie A side but fell well short – even by his dismal recent standards.



The 25-year-old started just eight league matches and was subbed off in three of those, getting just one top-flight goal.

Milan currently have Cristian Brocchi in charge of the first team after sacking  Sinisa Mihajlovic back in April but it is the club's hierarchy that makes the transfer decisions and they don't want the former Manchester City man.

The flamboyant star's £120,000-a-week wages would put most clubs off and even the big-spending forces in Turkish and Chinese football are hesitant of taking the oddball.

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Balotelli scored just one goal in Serie A last season from only eight starts and was ignored by Italy boss Antonio Conte for the Euro 2016 squadCredit: PA:Press Association Images
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Balotelli broke through at Inter Milan and was brought to England by then Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini but he never fulfilled his promiseCredit: PA:Press Association Images
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Even big-spending clubs in the top-flight leagues of China and Turkey are reluctant to take a gamble on the misfiring Italian strikerCredit: PA:Press Association Images

Liverpool are not even short of attacking options for next season with Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi ready and willing to lead the line and Danny Ings returning from injury.

That means Balotelli will find it even more difficult to get back in the team at Anfield where fans are unlikely to have much patience left for him.

Italy boss Antonio Conte – who is leaving his post after the Euros to take over at Chelsea – was not interested in taking the forward to France this summer.



The future Blues boss found five forwards more attractive with the likes of  30-year-old Graziano Pelle from Southampton and 23-year-old Stephan El Shaarawy from Roma  now preparing for the tournament.

According to Gazzetta World, Balotelli has been told by Klopp to return to Melwood on July 2.

But he's unlikely to want to want to hang around Anfield after saying back in May:  “I want to stay at Milan.

"I do not want to return to Liverpool. I was never happy at Liverpool."

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