Mario Balotelli (in pic) will have to agree to Liverpool’s code of conduct if his proposed $27 million transfer from AC Milan is to be completed, according to reports in the British press on Friday.
Speculation over Balotelli’s future intensified on Thursday after AC Milan acknowledged the temperamental Italy striker was on his way out of the San Siro. Milan and Liverpool have agreed a fee to let the 24-year-old move to Anfield, media in England and Italy reported. However, several British newspapers said the Merseyside club had held talks with Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, in Liverpool on Thursday where the terms for concluding the deal were laid out by the Anfield hierarchy.
It would appear Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, having gone through a series of off-field crises with Luis Suarez, the man Balotelli is set to replace, is in no mood for a repeat performance. Balotelli’s two-and-a-half years with Manchester City prior to returning to Italy were overshadowed by his off-pitch antics, which included car crashes, setting fireworks off in his bathroom and an incident in which he threw a dart at a youth-team player.
He was regularly at loggerheads with then City boss Roberto Mancini and clashed with some team-mates while producing intermittent flashes of his undoubted star quality. The Milan website reported that Balotelli had said his goodbyes to players and staff after training on Thursday morning, suggesting only personal terms remain to be finalised. If the deal goes through by Saturday, his first match could be at his former club Manchester City, who pipped Liverpool to the English title last season, on Monday. Rodgers is due to hold his regular pre-match press conference at Liverpool’s training ground later on Friday.
Speculation over Balotelli’s future intensified on Thursday after AC Milan acknowledged the temperamental Italy striker was on his way out of the San Siro. Milan and Liverpool have agreed a fee to let the 24-year-old move to Anfield, media in England and Italy reported. However, several British newspapers said the Merseyside club had held talks with Balotelli’s agent, Mino Raiola, in Liverpool on Thursday where the terms for concluding the deal were laid out by the Anfield hierarchy.
It would appear Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, having gone through a series of off-field crises with Luis Suarez, the man Balotelli is set to replace, is in no mood for a repeat performance. Balotelli’s two-and-a-half years with Manchester City prior to returning to Italy were overshadowed by his off-pitch antics, which included car crashes, setting fireworks off in his bathroom and an incident in which he threw a dart at a youth-team player.
He was regularly at loggerheads with then City boss Roberto Mancini and clashed with some team-mates while producing intermittent flashes of his undoubted star quality. The Milan website reported that Balotelli had said his goodbyes to players and staff after training on Thursday morning, suggesting only personal terms remain to be finalised. If the deal goes through by Saturday, his first match could be at his former club Manchester City, who pipped Liverpool to the English title last season, on Monday. Rodgers is due to hold his regular pre-match press conference at Liverpool’s training ground later on Friday.