Stamford Bridge boss ready to accept challenge to get the most out of troubled Italian forward.
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Chelsea are in advanced talks with AC Milan as Jose Mourinho looks to reunite with his former charge at Stamford Bridge.
CaughtOffside understands that AC Milan have ran out of patience with Mario Balotelli and are ready to accept Chelsea’s advances for the Italian international, with a £30m bid in the offing.
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Though Chelsea boss Mourinho has had his eyes on a number of top striking talents he is said to now favour a move for the 23 year old due to his having a decent level of Premier League experience.
Mourinho also feels that the pursuit of the former Man City man is an easier one to complete than ongoing moves for the likes of PSG’s Edinson Cavani and Atletico Madrid ace Diego Costa.
Whilst Balotelli’s attitude and off-field antics would leave many opting to look elsewhere Mourinho is ready to meet such a challenge head-on and believes he can get the most out of the undoubtedly talented forward and hopes to have a deal in place before the 2014 World Cup finals get underway.
Balotelli moved back to the San Siro in January 2013 and though his AC Milan side have struggled for form, and have failed to secure a Champions League berth for next term, the troubled forward has still scored regularly and his record of 26 goals in 35 Serie A starts has gone largely overlooked due to a series of run-ins.
Indeed in his last AC Milan appearance Balotelli was angered by Clarence Seedorf’s decision to sub him, making it abundantly clear as he left the field of play, and then followed up that clash by arguing with a pundit in a post-match interview.
Chelsea’s current crop of strikers have steadfastly failed to deliver this term, potentially costing Jose Mourinho’s push for either a Premier or Champions League title in the process, and the Portuguese boss is keen to resolve the problem as a matter of urgency this summer.
Samuel Eto’o is likely to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer and both Demba Ba and Fernando Torres could well follow the Cameroon international to the Chelsea exit.
Prior to his move back to his native Italy Balotelli spent two and a half seasons at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 30 goals in 80 appearances of which 31 were from the bench, securing a Premier League title and an FA Cup triumph in the process.
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